To Bleed Each Other White
by twilighteve-writes
Summary: A war is brewing between Amestris and Creta. Roy and Edward knew that once it hit their way, Edward might be called to serve as a human weapon. But while they mentally prepared themselves for the inevitable, what they weren't prepared for struck: Edward was kidnapped.
1. Abducted

Chapter One: Abducted

_Border Battles are Getting Hotter_

Edward Elric sighed when he saw the headline of the newspaper. Really, the fights in the borders were the only thing the newspaper talked about lately. "Yeah, Colonel Bastard, I can read that. A scrap of newspaper doesn't exactly warrant calling me over, does it? Especially when it doesn't concern me at all."

Roy Mustang's brows furrowed. "Not yet."

Their eyes met, and they mirror each other's looks. Dreadful knowing. "Not yet," Edward repeated, the bravado gone and leaving only tired acceptance.

Years upon years of battles to gain more land had taken a toll on both Amestris and Creta. The relationship between the two countries were rocky at best, but since Führer Bradley's taken the leadership everything went spiralling out of control. The war became more heated, battles more frequent.

And the Führer apparently decided that it was a good idea to make more attacks lately. Amestris had gained more land, but Creta of course was unhappy about this and went full-throttle to get back what they had lost and then some. Table City was one of the towns that was constantly on the lookout, claimed by Amestris in a day and taken by Creta on the next, only to be reclaimed by Amestris again. Many more were the same. Thus, the headline.

"How long has it been, really?" Edward asked quietly.

"Almost half a year," Roy answered. "Rumors of full-blown war have been circulating lately. If this goes on, it might not be _just_ a rumor."

Edward let out a sigh. "And the Führer's given speeches to boost morale and everything. That war might really break soon." His tone was gloomy, but his pose was nonchalant. Roy could see beyond his mask.

"Having both the Hero of Ishval and Hero of the People would surely boost the morale," he snorted. Then he gave that familiar smirk. "But of course. Having a charismatic person in your troop is bound to make people more hopeful."

"Who, you? The troop's gonna meet their dramatic end before they even get to lift their guns," Edward snorted. The tension melted as they found their usual routine of mocking and jabbing. "Is that all, Mustang? Al's waiting for me in the library. I don't want to leave him for too long."

"No, actually. I have something for you," Roy pulled out a file.

"Another case?" Edward scowled. "I don't have time for this kind of thing, Mustang!"

"Trust me, you have time for this one case," Roy assured the boy. "There's been a series of thefts and robberies in Senna lately. The person who did them used a bit of alchemy to break into people's houses and stores, but either this guy is an amateur or he's a really stupid alchemist, since his transmutations are just plain pitiful." He huffed out a silent laugh, raising his hand at Edward who opened his mouth to protest again. "That's not the most interesting thing, Fullmetal. Eyewitnesses have been saying something about the burglar having a red stone on his person."

This shut Edward up. "A red stone..." he mumbled, hands moving to open the file Roy had given him and eyes skimming throuh the letters printed neatly on the paper. "Is it possibly...?"

Roy smiled. "You'll find out once you investigate it. If it's the real deal, I'll see what I can do to make sure the stone ends up in your possession."

"Right," Edward gave his usual cocky grin. "When do I start?"

"Next train to Senna leaves two days from now," Roy informed. "You have plenty of time to get ready. I wouldn't worry if I were you."

"Except for the fact that it's close to the borders," Edward said, eyes locked to the copy of the small map Roy had slipped into the file. "Close to both Creta and Aerugo. Right next to Fotset." His brows furrowed. Fotset was one of the cities where the battles was one of the most heated. With Senna so near to it, was it really safe to go? Alphonse would be coming with him, and he'd never forgive himself if anything ever happened to his brother.

"It's not a place where the battles are raging, Fullmetal," Roy let out a breath of annoyance. "Senna is actually quite safe. There is almost no battles going there, except when the forces in Fotset decides to boarden the battleground. It almost never happens. Besides, do you really think I'd send you to a place in which your well-being will be treathened?"

"Of course not," Edward smiled a dazzlingly fake smile. "After all, you've said it yourself. You have a ladder you need to climb, right? And I'm your pawn." He dropped the smile and wore a scowl. "But honestly. You've sent me to cases where I've got seriously injured. Are you actually old enough to forget all that or what?"

"I didn't forget, Fullmetal. In fact, I remember perfectly that usually, you got hurt because you're a _little_ too reckless for your own good."

"What are you insinuating?" Edward's eyes narrowed. "Nevermind that. I need to get to Al soon."

"Don't get stepped on out there, Fullmetal," Roy smirked when the golden alchemist opened the door.

"Ha, ha, ha," Edward turned to make a rude gesture to Roy. "Like hell I will, Colonel Bastard." And the door closed with a loud, reverbrating slam.

* * *

Senna. A city south in Amestris, close to both Creta and Aerugo. It stood east to Fotset, closer to Aerugo than to Creta, which made it a bit weird that the border battles with Aerugo usually ended up in Fotset instead of the other cities closer to Aerugo. However, seeing that the small town of Tahdu, which stood even closer to the actual borders compared to Fotset, was famous of housing forces from both Aerugo and Creta, Edward supposed it made sense. After all, it would be easier to attack a town close to where your own soldiers wait than going around to farther towns with no guarantee of winning.

He never really heard of this town before. Senna was one of those cities which was quiet and unnoticeable, its own reputation outshined by its neighbors. The only thing Edward had actually heard about it was that it was close to Fotset and sometimes, once in a blue moon, the battles spread so dangerously close to the heart of Senna and yet, miraculously, no civilian had ever got seriously injured.

Hearing about the town was one thing. Actually visiting it was another.

Senna was a lively city. Unexpectedly so. Being so close to the place where the most intense border battle was taking place, one would think that Senna would be gloomy and deserted, its people long gone to other towns where they could be safer or curling up in their homes as if by ignoring the bloodshed just a town over it could disappear and not touch them forever, as if the damage to Senna in the past where Fotset's fires spread had disappeared like it was never there. But no. Senna was loud and brash and full of laugh, its people chattering like a flock of unruly birds not caring about the world. Yet, when Edward listened carefully, he would always hear words like 'guns', 'fire', 'closer', 'not safe', and 'death' thrown into conversations that sounded awfully innocent.

"Brother?" Alphonse's call snapped Edward out.

"Coming," he answered as he pulled his bag to his side and ran towards the hulking suit of armor.

They headed straight to the first inn they saw, which was a deep pink building that looked like it had seen better days. The pink paint was peeling in many places, dulled and subdued. The wooden board that hung upon the entrance was worn with age, the red paint reading _The Poppy Cottage_ in elegant cursive and a bouquet of three red poppies underneath fading. The inside, however, was in a much better shape. The air was clear, and sunshine came into the building from the numerous windows.

"Welcome!" the man at the counter quickly greeted. "How may I help you?"

"We'd like to book a room for two, please," Alphonse requested politely. "And a map of the city, if you have one."

"Of course," the man nodded with a smile. A key was soon placed into Alphonse's gauntlet. "You can take room 210. We have great view to the town." Then he gave an apologetic smile. "And we don't have the city plan, unfortunately. But I'm sure the city library have one."

"Can you tell us where it is?" Edward asked immediately.

"Sure," the man gestured towards the door. "Just go to the fountain in the middle of the town first, it's not far from here - turn right on the junction out there and walk down the street for about five minutes and you're there. The library's near the fountain. You'll find it once you get there."

"Thanks, old man," Edward nodded. "And by the way. I heard there's been some robberies here lately?"

The man's brow furrowed. "Ah, yes. It's been quite frustrating. We haven't gotten so much of petty crimes like this. Senna is peaceful, you know?"

Alphonse nodded. "Yeah, it's a really nice town."

The man's furrowed brow was unraveled at once, and his face now housed a brilliant smile. "Well of course. The people here are friendly. Well, except when we get bar fights. When that happens, the pent-up frustration people have just blows up and the fights get real bloody real quick."

_Note to self,_ Edward thought, _Check one of these bar fights later._

"Anyway, the robberies," the man brought his attention back to the problem. "There are traces of transmutation circles everywhere, I heard. This burglar actually went and destroyed the walls of empty and unmanned shops to raid the cashier using alchemy and ran away before anyone can catch him. He's been quite the thorn in everyone's side."

"Can you tell us the places where he robbed, please?" Alphonse requested without wasting any time. "We want to see just what kind of damage he's done."

"You two are a pair of strange tourists, you know that?" the man asked with a raised brow, making both Edward and Alphonse laugh nervously. They didn't bother telling that they were from the military since Senna, although quiet and almost unheard of, was popular for being one of the towns that despised the military. "Well, there are a lot, and you can get the complete list in the library, too. But one of them is near the fountain, you can't miss it."

"Thank you," Alphonse told him. The two brothers quickly deposited Edward's bag in the room and made their way to the fountain. And they saw the one place the robbery took place that the man in the hotel spoke of, and it wasn't pretty.

It was clear for the brothers that the gaping hole was meant to be a doorway since it resembled a square of some kind. But then again either the alchemist miscalculated or he stopped at deconstruction state, because the hole ended up being a sorry blown up gaping mouth of bricks and cement. And the transmutation apparently affected not only tne area of the blown up wall, but the whole wall itself. Traces of imperfect transmutation snaked the whole wall, ignoring the dusty transmutation circle drawn with chalk that surrounded the hole. Both Edward and Alphonse knew that just a touch can make the wall crumble.

"This burglar must be an idiot," Edward commented.

Alphonse didn't comment on that. "Come on, Brother."

They reached the library in no time. Edward went straight to take a city plan while Alphonse asked the lady at the counter about the robberies. While Alphonse and the lady chatted, Edward looked around the library, noting that it was so scarce of any sign of life aside of the three of them. The closed door made it look even more closed off from the bustling town outside. Frowning, he voiced his thought, "Hey, Lady, is it normal for the library to be this deserted?"

The lady laughed bitterly. "I'm afraid so. People aren't very interested in books here."

"Is that so," Edward muttered. "Well, thanks for your help. We'll get going now."

"Have a good day!" the lady waved good-naturedly. Both Edward and Alphonse waved back, walking to the door calmly. Edward placed his hand on the knob and turned, only to find the door locked.

"Huh?" Edward muttered, pulling and turning the knob in confusion. "Uh, Lady, do you have a key for this? The door's locked."

"Oh, is it?" She asked with the same smile. "That's weird. Let me see."

Edward frowned in suspicion, but he sidestepped away. His eyes was locked to the lady's delicate fingers while she pulled and turned the doorknob without success. She reached to her pocket, revealing a bunch of keys which jingled with each other.

Edward blinked. Was it just him, or did the keys blurred for a moment there?

"Hmmm, this is certainly weird," the lady muttered. Her voice echoed in Edward's head, and his vision blurred once more. He blinked and shook his head in an attempt to clear his suddenly foggy mind, struggling to keep himself upright as he lost power in his limbs. His knees buckled and he crumpled to the floor.

"Brother?" Alphonse called in alarm, moving forward to get a hold of Edward. "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Wha...?" Edward couldn't even string a coherent sentence. The golden pools lifted up to meet the lady's autumn bronze.

"Oh dear, it's started already?" she muttered. "I thought it would take longer than that. But considering your size and your metal limbs, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"What are you - WAH!" Alphonse's question was cut off with a scream. "Stop! Get off me! Don't - No! My head!"

"What the... Al!" through the fogginess in his head and the general sense of weakness in his body, Edward noticed how Alphonse's hold was yanked away from him oh so cruelly, making him feel alone and scared because _I can't move, why can't I move, why is it so hard to even think?_

The lady kneeled before him and lifted his chin. Once again, golden met autumn bronze, and even through the cloud of cotton stuffing his ears and muffling his usually sharp mind, he could feel the implication of her words deep in his bones. "Beautiful, isn't it? We developed this gas for a long time. We're practically immune to it after having brethed it for so long... but for those who aren't used to it, the gas will put them to sleep slow and nice. It's sightless, tasteless, odorless. By the time you realize something is wrong, you're already trapped."

The sounds of metal clanking and Alphonse screaming was like a sword in Edward's conscience. "Al..."

"Don't worry about him, Sweetie," the lady smiled pitifully, and Edward despised the look instantly. "No harm will come upon him. Now be a good boy and just go to sleep, will you?"

Edward didn't want to. He wanted to fight, to stay awake, to defy this person and her cronies and whatever plans she was having. But what could he do? His body no longer listened to what he told it to do, and he could feel his mind being filled with so much warm fuzziness that was impossible to fight. The lady gently pushed him to the floor so he was laying down on his back, and he was powerless to resist. Then she used her hand to cover his eyes.

The darkness engulfing him was more comfortable than he thought it would be. Despite knowing the danger he was in, Edward couldn't help but welcome it. His eyelids slid close before he was even aware of it.

He felt his body being lifted and he struggled instantly, not liking the idea lf being manhandled at all. But soon he lost all power in his muscles, and he found that he didn't really care about anything that was happening around him. He was so tired, his head was fuzzy, he wanted to rest and sleep and not wake up for a whole week.

"BROTHER! NO! DON'T TAKE HIM!"

The last cry of the horribly familiar voice almost snapped him to the world of the waking once more, but in the end fatigue won and Edward knew no more.

* * *

A/N: I'd like to thank Cutiepie120048 for this idea. In her review to another story of mine, The Strays and the Keepers (yes, this is also an ad to my other story, deal with it) she raised the idea of kidnapped Ed fic, and hell if I don't write it because a whole lot of feels and needs just consumed my whole being and I had to write the story.

You have no idea how much time I spent pouring over the map of Amestris just to decide on the place this story takes place alone. I originally wanted to use Tahdu as the place, but considering how Fotset is where most battles take place I figured using Senna would be better. After all, Mustang wouldn't put the brothers in harm. And Tahdu being a town where Cretan and Aerugian soldiers lurk kinda becomes a a headcanon of mine that I simply must write into this story...

Anyway, that's the first chapter of the story. It's kinda short, but oh well. I hope you enjoyed it.

And please review! Reviews send me rainbows and sunshine and butterflies, which I need desperately right now because winter is harsh and it's been raining nonstop.


	2. Scattered

Chapter Two: Scattered

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

The finger tapped relentlessly on the table, again and again, without stopping. It went on and on in a constant rhythm, and finally the people in the room couldn't take it anymore.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I'd appreciate it if you can stop tapping," Riza Hawkeye told Roy, looking like she was trying her best not to yell.

She received a response at last. "Sorry, Lieutenant," the colonel muttered, fist clenched to stop himself from tapping further. His brows furrowed. "It's just..." he sighed, words dying in his mouth. "Nothing."

Riza's eyes softened immediately. "It's them, isn't it?"

Roy gave a defeated laugh. "How is it that you can read me so easily, Lieutenant?" His eyes fell on the telephone sitting at the edge of his table, and his frown returned. "It's been too long, Lieutenant. They should have returned by now. No mission has ever taken them this long."

Riza gave a frown of her own. "I'm sure they're alright, Sir," she assured him, but it sounded weak even to her ears.

"I hope so," he sighed.

It had been three months since Roy sent the two brothers to the mission in Senna. There had been no word from them at all. No phone calls, no letter, no mailed written report that Edward sometimes send when he was researching for a way to get Alphonse's body back or when he was too lazy to give it in person. And as much as Roy hated to admit, he was worried. Alarmingly so. The longest the Elrics had been gone without a word was a month, and this clearly had surpassed it.

It had come to a point where he started acting out of character. He had actually tried to do his paperwork for once. Havoc had straight-out accused him of being a spy in disguise as a result of that, and if that wasn't an indicator that Roy wasn't alright, then Havoc's claim must have been true.

He leaned to his desk, fingertips pressing together as his thoughts ran over to Edward and Alphonse once more, like he had done thousands of times before. He couldn't go on like this. He needed to see the brothers, he had to make sure they were alright. Because for high heavens, he was the one who threw them headfirst into this harsh military life, dammit. How would he be able to live with himself if he had somehow ruined two more innocent lives? It was bad enough that he was the cause of most destruction in Ishval. He didn't want to become the downfall of two of the purest, strongest, kindest souls he'd met.

As his eyes ran through the desk and scanned the words on the scattered paperwork on the tabletop, his mind weighed his chances and he asked Riza, "Lieutenant, what do you think of a small visit to Senna?"

Riza blinked, the stoic mask shattering as surprise bled through her features. "Senna, Sir?"

He balled his fists as the decision hardened in his mind. "We leave tomorrow morning. Bring the whole team."

* * *

Maybe coming to Senna in their uniform wasn't the best idea that Roy had. The reaction was immediate, and it wasn't one that he was particularly fond with.

People eyed them as they walked through the streets in distrust, the way the moved and averted their eyes made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with the military. Roy decided to ignore them. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

"They really aren't friendly, are they?" Havoc commented quietly.

"What do you expect? We're military," Breda huffed.

They walked into the third hotel in town that they saw, hoping that this one was where the Elrics were staying after the failure to find them in the previous two inns. _The Poppy Cottage_ didn't seem promising, but who knows? Maybe they'd hit the jackpot.

The man behind the counter was frozen on spot upon seeing them at first, but he recovered quickly. "Welcome to _The Poppy Cottage_," he said professionally, but his smile looked strained. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to ask some questions to you," Roy didn't waste his time with small talk. "Three months ago, did you get a pair of unusual customers? A blond shortie in bright red coat and a man in a suit of armor?"

The man blinked and crossed his arms, somewhat defensive. "Why do you need to know?"

"I'm the equivalent of their guardian, Mister. I haven't gotten words from them for three months. I need to know where they are."

The man thought it over, seemingly unwilling to fold, but in the end he sighed. "I did, actually," he admitted. "They asked me about a series of robberies that took place three months ago and went out after putting their bag in. They never returned, but later that night I received this note from someone," the man took a piece of paper and handed it to Roy.

_We might not return to the hotel for a while. Please keep it locked because we have some important things in our bag. -Elric-_

_P.S: the room number's 210, in case you forget._

"What does it say, Sir?" Fuery asked timidly. Roy simply handed the note to him, and his whole team crowded on the young officer immediately, wanting to have a read on the message as well. Roy gritted his teeth. That scrawly handwriting was definitely Edward's.

"Let us see the room," Roy told the innkeeper.

The man's brows knitted together. "I'm sorry, but we don't let people go into others' room so easily. Not even the military." His eyes seemed to scream, _Especially the military._

Roy took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm. "As I have told you before, I am the equivalent of their guardian. I am not a stranger to them. Let me go into their room."

"Sir," Riza stepped ahead, and Roy stopped talking. He had raised his voice without realizing it. After he took another deep breath, Riza spoke to the innkeeper, "I'm sorry for this, but we really do need to see the room. These two people have been missing for three months, at the very least. We need to collect leads in order to find them."

The man still looked reluctant, but in the end he agreed. "Alright then," he took a spare key and started walking. "It's this way."

The group walked in uncomfortable silence. After too long a time, they finally reached the destinated room. The innkeeper opened the door, and they watched as the door swung with a faint creak inwards.

"I haven't touched this room at all, so it's a bit dusty," the man told the group.

Roy walked inside, followed instantly by Riza and Havoc. Fuery also took a step inside and positioned himself near the window with Black Hayate in tow while Breda and Falman stayed outside, eyes alert and hand resting on their gun holster. Roy's eyes swept the room. The beds were clearly untouched, with the blankets and pillows looking so neat on the bed like that. Dust covered the floor, not too thick to muffle the sound of their shoes against the wooden boards but clearly there. The desk, too, was blanketed by dust, and notebooks, papers, and pens littered on it.

Notebooks, papers and pens?

Curiosity piqued, Roy took one of the notebooks and flipped it open, ignoring the sleet of dust on its cover. His brows furrowed in worry instantly, and he read aloud, "July 3rd. Went to Liore with Al today. Hot, but manageable." He flipped into a random page. "August 20th. Central isn't as crowded as expected. Ate quiche and apple pies with the Hughes earlier."

"Is that a travel log?" Havoc asked, partly in curiosity and partly in confusion.

"Not just a travel log," Roy answered. "It's Fullmetal's. And do you know what his alchemical code is disguised as?" His eyes met Havoc's, and he answered his own question with a grave tone, "A travel log."

Riza's eyes widened as the implication sank. Growing up with an alchemist as a father, she knew that most, if not all, alchemists keep their research notes with their person at all time.

"And these papers, too," Roy pointed, distress now clear in his voice. "They may look like they're covered with doodles, but I'm sure that if studied they'll turn out to be equations and sketches of transmutation circles."

The group fell silent, worry doubling. What could possibly happen that made Edward leave his research notes?

Havoc looked around the room and his eyes landed on a familiar bag, placed behind the door and out of the Colonel's sight. He picked it up. "Sir, isn't this Edward's bag?" he asked Roy, lifting the bag. "Oof! It's heavy! What's inside this thing?"

"Open it, Havoc," Roy told the lieutenant. "We can all inspect the content together."

"Hey, hey, hey!" the innkeeper, who had been staying outside just by the door the whole time, protested. "Isn't this like a breach of privacy? I can't let it happen, not in my inn!"

"Mister, this is a missing person case, and we need all clues we can get!" Roy nearly barked at him. "Please, let us do this. We don't know what have happened with the kids, and we're trying to find out what and where they are. Please cooperate."

The man backed away, but it was clear from his face that he disagreed with Roy's method.

Havoc heaved the bag and put it on the bed with a great 'oomph'. "Let's see what's inside this baby," he said, opening the bag. Breda, Falman, and Fuery immediately scooted closer. And upon seeing the content, the group froze.

Inside the bag was the ever familiar shoulder spikes, arm plate, and gauntlets of a certain armor they knew all so well.

* * *

She sat on the table casually, feet dangling freely as she sipped on a cup of coffee she held in one hand while her other hand held a bunch of paper her eyes so calmly read. The autumn bronze then glanced to her side, where a bed was standing, gazing at the sleeping body on top of it. She put down her cup and tucked her dark hair behind her ear, eyes still locked on the sleeping golden boy.

The sound of opening door drew her attention away. "Heeey, Sofia!" the brown haired man who had just stepped inside grinned. His grey eyes twinkled as he walked closer.

"That's Bello for you, Dinapoli," she corrected in mild irritation as she sipped her coffee again. She placed the papers down by her side. "I have no intention of getting so buddy-buddy with you. We're here to work."

"Does this mean an invitation of getting more 'buddy-buddy' outside of work, Bello?" he asked with a teasing smirk. At her glare, he laughed. "Alright, alright, I'll stop. I prefer to be called Lucca any time of the day, though."

She shook her head and breathed a sigh. Her coworker had never been able to act seriously at work. She had to constantly remind herself that this man, however eccentric and annoying, was one of the best in his area of expertise. "How's the rest of the plan? Is it ready to be launched yet?"

"Eh, almost," Lucca's tone was as cheerful and nonchalant as ever, but his body language was more somber this time. "We've gotten the most important piece, so the plan can go soon. So." He stepped closer to the bed and kneeled, watching the sleeping boy on top of it with calculating eyes. "This is the infamous Fullmetal Alchemist." He cocked his head aside. "I never imagined him being so young. He can't be older than fifteen."

"It's all in the files, Dinapoli," Sofia snorted. "He's a teenager, alright. Joined the military at twelve and all those things."

"It's hard to believe someone so young could join, though," Lucca sighed. "Don't the higher-ups know what kind of damage this could do to his psyche?"

Sofia downed her coffee in one gulp and placed the cup with a loud thump on the table. "Does it matter?" she asked, tone cold as opposed to the hot liquid she had just drank. "If anything, this just proves that Amestris is willing to use anything they have at hand as a weapon. That rotten country."

"I suppose that's true," Lucca gave a light laugh. "Still, this shortie must have some real potential if he can join military at twelve!" He stopped laughing when the sleeping boy frowned and murmured several curse words, the antenna on his head twitching.

"He doesn't like to be called short," Sofia explained. "It's in the files. Apparently there have been cases where he beat up someone for calling him short."

"Let's not mention the s-word then," Lucca shrugged. "It wouldn't be good if he suddenly wakes up for being called small!"

Sofia smiled mockingly at that. She doubted anyone would be able to do it.

Once again, her attention was drawn by the sound of opening door. A dark-skinned man walked in, his muscular frame hulking. His dark eyes stared into her own as his hand ran through his cropped black hair. "We took care of the suit of armor."

"Hello to you too, dear Gregory," Lucca greeted. "Are you talking about the hollow, living one? The one that tagged along with this Elric kid here?" he pointed at the sleeping boy, who had regained his more peaceful state after his brief episode. At Gregory's nod, he asked, "What did you do, anyway?"

"We took it apart and hid the parts all over Senna," Gregory answered. "Some are in the alchemist's hotel room. The one with the weird red symbol is in the library. Some are in the fountain, some thrown to the woods. The note Bello had the alchemist write had also been deposited to the inn they stayed in. Phase one is more or less complete."

"You should have tried to kill it or something," Sofia commented. "You should know that it's not good leaving an eyewitness around, Foster."

"I was never ordered to kill," Gregory responded somewhat heatedly. "Besides, how do you kill a hollow suit of armor?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe break the weird red symbol?" Sofia bit back immediately. "That armor's probably just a result of alchemy anyway. It wouldn't be that hard to destroy it."

"Hey now, let's stop yelling to each other, alright?" Lucca stepped in before the verbal fight could get worse. "It's already done anyway. Let's focus on the matter at hand. Are we all ready to condition the kid?"

Sofia slid off the table and stood in front of the bed, hand playing with the alchemist's golden bangs. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready." Her finger curled around a strand of hair. "Better to get this over with as soon as possible."

"I say we start first thing tomorrow morning," Gregory said. "The rest of the team aren't ready yet. And apparently they are tired from having to drive all the way here from Senna. Besides, dismantling a suit of armor isn't as easy as it sounds."

Sofia opened her mouth to protest, but Lucca beat her to it. "Oh well, we've got much time to do it anyway," he said, laughing lightly. "As long as the kid isn't gone for too long, it should be alright."

Sofia scowled, but she complied. "Fine, tomorrow morning it is," she sighed. Her eyes fell once again on the golden alchemist. "Tomorrow morning," she repeated, tone quiet, as if speaking a promise.

* * *

Alphonse was beginning to feel hopeless.

How long had it been since he was broken down to pieces? How long had it been since this piece, the most important piece housing his soul and its medium - the transmutation circle Edward had drawn using his own blood - was trapped in this dark place? Alphonse couldn't know for sure, but he was fairly certain that he was placed in a soundproofed container. He had been yelling as loud as he could to be let out for as long as he could remember, and yet no one bothered to free him of his prison.

"Brother," he whispered, nearly sobbing. He would be sobbing if he could. To watch Edward being taken away while he could do nothing but watch as those people pulled him apart... it was horrible.

He heard muffled sounds of people speaking outside, and he began screaming again. "Heeey! Is someone out there?! Please let me out!"

The sound of muffled speaking stopped for a bit. Alphonse screamed "help" as loud as he could, hoping to draw attention to himself. Soon, he heard the sound of knocking wood, scratches and metallic clang, before light suddenly flooded his vision and blinded him.

"Alphonse!"

The familiar voice made him gasp. "Colonel Mustang!" he was finally adjusted to the light. Roy was standing hunched, and he realized that he was trapped in a wooden crate. Roy lifted his back plate and placed it on the floor.

"It's a good thing that you're alright," Roy sighed. "We found some of your parts in your hotel room. We thought something had happened to you."

"I - I don't understand," Alphonse stammered. "Why are you here?"

"It's been three months since the time the colonel sent you on the mission, Alphonse," by Roy's side, Riza spoke, and Alphonse felt his heart sink. Three months? "There has been no word from you both, so we decided to check on you."

"Where is Edward, Alphonse?" Roy asked, and Alphonse felt weird immediately, not used to Roy calling his brother by his name. Then panic and worry seized him, and he made a sound that sounded like a dying animal.

"Colonel! You have to find Brother as soon as possible! He's been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" Havoc, who had been standing near the whole time, snapped in surprise. Falman, Breda, and Fuery, also with him, stared at him in shock. "The chief? Seriously?"

"That's not all," Alphonse added, voice trembling. "The Cretans have him."

* * *

A/N: _ba-dum-tss!_ Kudos for me for finishing this chapter so fast. Holidays, people. I'm on _fire_.

I've been writing so much this whole time, and I still am. At this rate the third chapter might be up soon, possibly this Friday or even sooner. No promises, but let's hope my writing streak doesn't end soon.

Please leave a review on your way out! They're my fuel. Every time I read them I always feel compelled to write more. But hey, that means I get to write faster, and a new chapter's gonna be added soon. Win-win solution. *shrug*


	3. Gathered

Chapter Three: Gathered

"There," Fuery said as he straightened up and wiped his brow. "It's all done."

"Thank you, Sergeant," Alphonse said gratefully as he moved his wrists around. Finally being put back together and able to actually move was a blessing.

It took them three days to gather all of Alphonse's parts. It was scattered all over Senna. Breda managed to find his foot in a diner when he was buying lunch. Fuery found his arm in a toilet. Havoc and Falman found his thigh in the fountain. Black Hayate found his other foot when Riza walked him near the woods surrounding the town. Roy basically abused his rank and power as a military personnel to find his parts. Alphonse was sure that once everything was done, Roy would gain an unhealthy reputation in the city.

"I don't really care all that much about that right now, Alphonse," Roy had said. "We have more important things to worry about."

Alphonse had told them everything that had happened in the library prior to Edward's kidnapping. "After Brother was taken, the Cretan soldiers took my armor away," he said. "My back plate was put in that crate you found me in, and I guess after that they transported me to the library's warehouse."

"Are you sure that it's the Cretans, Alphonse?" Roy asked. His tone was grave.

Alphonse nodded. "Their accent was definitely Cretan," he confirmed. "Although I can't recognize the lady's accent. She speaks in the same accent as the people around here. And they were using military ranks to address each other, too. The boss was a dark-skinned man with black hair. He was tall and muscular, though not as much as Major Armstrong. The other Cretans follow his orders."

"Tall, muscular, dark skin, black hair," Havoc mused. "That sounds like the description from the innkeeper about who dropped the chief's note."

Roy sighed loudly. "Creta," he said under his breath. "If they're really involved in this, this isn't a good news at all." He stood up, one hand cupping his chin as he sank into his thoughts. "We should try to get Fullmetal back as soon as possible and get this done with."

"Shouldn't you inform the higher-up and request backup, Sir?" Alphonse asked in confusion.

Roy shook his head. "No, better not do it. If I do war might really get started for real. No one will be happy when they know a state alchemist was abducted. We'll settle this quickly and quietly, that way we can at least avoid sparking war, at least for a little while. Besides..." His eyes narrowed. "It's been three months and there's no ransom demand, no threat directed to the military, nothing has happened. Fullmetal was taken for another reason. Possibly information."

"Does that mean..." if he had a body, Alphonse would grow pale in an alarming speed. "Colonel! You don't think they'd... to Brother...!"

Roy closed his eyes and let out a breath. "To be honest, Alphonse, I can't tell you anything. I don't know about the Cretans' interrogation method."

Alphonse gave a sound that sounded like a shuddering breath. "Brother," he muttered weakly.

The team gave him a look that was a mix of pity and worry.

"In any case, we need to finish this nice and quick," Roy declared as he stood up and reached towards the telephone in the room. "We'll need someone who can help us think this out."

* * *

"Yo, Roy!"

Roy's head snapped to the voice, and he greeted the man quickly. "Hey, Hughes."

Maes Hughes grinned at him, waving good-naturedly in greeting. His eyes caught the nasty glares the civilians sent his way, and he casually grinned at them and threw greetings every now and then. The scowling crowd, surprised by his overly friendly manner, could only nod and wave back.

"So," Hughes flung his arm around Roy's shoulder as the colonel steered him towards a rented car. "What's so important that makes me need to leave Central? Gracia was really confused. And I gotta tell you, I'm not entirely happy I have to leave her and my daughter at home! Elysia's gotten bigger by the day and I don't want to miss a second of it!"

Roy pulled Hughes' head closer and whispered lowly in his ear, "Fullmetal's kidnapped. Creta."

Hughes' attitude changed as soon as the words escaped Roy's lips. "How?"

Roy pulled away and opened the car door, allowing Hughes to put his suitcase in. "Let's talk later, with everyone. It's too crowded here. Come on."

The drive was spent in restless silence. Once they reached _The Poppy Cottage_, which had ended up being a temporary residence for the whole team much to the innkeeper's chagrin, Hughes took his suitcase, followed Roy into the room they used as their office, and sat on the bed. "Explain," he demanded immediately. Gone was the man who squealed at his cute daughter, and in its place was the military man who survived Ishval.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." Hughes looked up at the voice, and his eyes met Alphonse's. "I'm glad you're finally here. Was the train ride okay?"

Hughes gave him a smile. "It was fine, Al, thanks. But right now I'm really curious as to how Edward could get kidnapped."

It was amazing how a suit of armor could look so human. Alphonse looked down, fists clenched. He produced a sound that was similar to a deep, calming breath one would take when they were trying to keep themselves in control.

"I'll explain, Hughes," Roy interjected, and Hughes's eyes was quickly focused on him. He listened to every word with such intensity, it seemed like his eyes were burning. He didn't utter a single word throughout the story.

"Let me get this straight," Hughes said as he took off his glassed and pinched the bridge of his nose, Edward's been taken by the Cretans, roughly three months have passed, and we have no word about this at all?"

Roy sighed, almost helpless. "You know Fullmetal, Hughes. He doesn't really call people to tell them that he's fine. We all thought everything was alright as usual."

Hughes huffed a breath. "Alright. So we need to find Ed as soon as possible. The question is how."

"My team's currently investigating it, and I was hoping you can help," Roy explained. "You weren't placed in Investigations Office for nothing."

"Of course I'll help," Hughes smiled in determination. He cracked his neck and wore his glasses again. "Let's get to work."

* * *

Sofia stared at the pile of papers in front of them, but her eyes didn't see them. No, her eyes were seeing into events of the past. She was seeing fire, guns, bullets, not letters upon letters jumbled together on paper.

_"Mother!"_

_"Sofia! Run!"_

_"No! Don't hurt her! Let go! Mother, Father, Sienna!"_

_Crackle of blue and the sound of roaring earth. The ground cracked open to reveal a chasm that swallowed so, so many whole._

_"No! NO!"_

Her fists clenched. _This kid is not a boy,_ she reminded herself once again as her eyes burned holes to the photograph of Edward Elric plastered on the paper. _He is a State Alchemist. A human weapon. Don't forget that._

The paper was flipped. She studied the golden alchemist's profile once more. Reputation, rumors, the brief profile of his commanding officer, Roy Mustang. Her eyes paused briefly at the name before she continued reading.

"Sofia," the call of Lucca, who was sitting next to her drinking coffee, snapped her back to reality. "I think we're all set."

She turned towards him, blinking as his words made its impact. She nodded. "When and where?"

"Probably first thing in the morning, back in Senna," Lucca answered. "Greg's men said his commanding officer is there trying to search for him."

She smiled, amused. "Fate is such a mysterious thing," she mused. "Isn't this just perfect? The job will be done sooner than the estimation."

"But isn't it a bit surprising that the commanding officer actually came all the way to Senna just to check on his subordinate?" Lucca laughed. "Oh-oh. I sense a gossip here. Is he secretly the boy's father?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Dinapoli. Roy Mustang would have been about the same age as Elric when he was born."

Lucca sighed. "There you go, blowing off a perfectly good, juicy scoop. You're such a party pooper."

Sofia scoffed. "I would enjoy your good scoop if it _makes sense_. Come on, we have more work to do." Her eyes glanced towards the corner of the room, where a boy with braided golden hair sat in silence.

He looked up with clouded eyes when she walked closer to him, eyelids fluttering as she spoke, "It's time." He suddenly jerked, then stood still as a statue. "You'd better succeed."

She stared as the boy blinked. There was no other reaction, but she wasn't hoping for one. She turned away, eyes blazing. Soon, war will break, and she will ensure that Amestris will fall.

* * *

Roy felt his stomach clench and twist with worry, just like it had been for the past few days upon knowing that Edward was abducted. The difference was that now, it felt physically painful for him instead of just the usual uncomfortable feeling gnawing at his abdomen.

Next to him, Riza pushed a plate of sandwich towards his hands. "Sir, your lunch."

He shook his head. "Thank you, Lieutenant, but I'm not hungry."

Her brows creased with worry. "Colonel, you haven't eaten since morning. It wouldn't help anyone if you collapse because of your own recklessness."

Oh. Perhaps that was the reason why it hurt.

With a sigh, Roy pulled the plate and took the sandwich, niblling on it without appetite but forcing himself to swallow anyway. Riza was right, he couldn't help anyone if he ended up making himself ill. While he ate, Riza stood by him, waiting, watching. She handed him a glass of water after he finished the sandwich, which took an eternity for him to do.

"We will get him back, Sir," Riza said with a blaze in her intense amber eyes. And suddenly he realized that his subordinates were just as worried as he was, that they wanted Edward back just as much as he did. He smiled, taking the glass of water from her hand.

"We will," he repeated the words. The reassurance was warming his core. He sighed. "I'm worried, Lieuteant," he admitted.

"You aren't the only one, Sir," Riza said, confirming Roy's feeling.

Roy looked at her straight in the eyes. Obsidian black met amber brown, and they spent a moment of silence before he asked, "How is Alphonse holding up?"

An expression of worry and pity broke through Riza's stoic facade. "Not very well," she admitted. "He's quieter than usual. He picks a lot lf stray cats, too. He jokes that it's because Edward isn't around to tell him to put the cats away, but I feel that it's only his way of coping. He also offers to walk Hayate a lot. He looks for many ways to distract himself, from studying Edward's notes and trying to crack his code to doodling pictures of cats. And it seems that he only does this because you told him not to be reckless and run off on his own. I think he would have used his own methods to find Edward had you not tell him that, Sir."

Roy nodded. He did, indeed, tell Alphonse that before. In fact, his exact words had been "Be a good kid and let us do this. We'll let you help, but don't be stupid and run off on your own. You'll only endanger yourself." It seemed that he had made the right decision to tell the younger Elric that.

There was no guarantee that Alphonse wouldn't do the thing, though. Even if he was the more agreeable lf the two, he was still an Elric, and if an Elric wasn't defined by their unpredictability and stubborness, then he wasn't the Flame Alchemist.

Riza moved to take his glass and plate, and his hands gasped hers, trying to find comfort in the warmth of her skin. Because Riza was always the calmer between them, and right now he needed an anchor to ground him, to keep him focused at the task at hand. And Riza was his anchor, his thread to reality. No one jerked him back to the real world like her. That was why she was his assistant. His queen. His most important, most precious piece in his complex chess game that had somehow became a struggle to retrieve a taken pawn. No, Edward wasn't a pawn... he was much more valuable than that. He was a priceless piece.

She didn't struggle. She simply stared, and their eyes met. He didn't need to explain. She knew.

The door opened, and Hughes walked in. His bespectacled eyes stared as the colonel and his assistant quickly pulled away from each other, but he didn't comment on it. He only gave a knowing smile. "Sorry to bother you," he said cheekily, "But Roy, can you accompany me to the library? I want to see the place where Ed was taken. It might help us a bit, even if the trails have gone cold." He shrugged. "Well. We can hope that it will, anyway."

He nodded. "Of course," he said, standing up. "Lieutenant, I trust that you can handle things in here?"

"Yes, Sir," Riza said formally, reverting back to their usual charade.

Soon, Roy and Hughes were walking down the streets, Roy ignoring the civilians' nasty glares and Hughes shooting goofy grins and greetings at the people who gave the sharpest stare. The walk was brisk, both the men not wanting to waste time.

"Why is it that Fullmetal was taken?" Roy hissed. "No one knew he'a a State Alchemist. He didn't tell anyone here."

"But if this is really done by them, don't you think they've already monitored his movements from the start?' Hughes voiced his opinion, no longer shooting smiles every here and there. "They even know what situation Alphonse is in and scattered his armor everywhere, making it impossible for him to inform anyone. This seems too elaborate for me, Roy."

Roy bit his lip, taking a deep breath and trying to regain his bearing. "I'm worried, Hughes. What if this is the first step they're taking? To prepare for..." his voice dropped, "...war?" Roy's legs stopped working, and they stood there in the road, staring at each other's eyes with gazes that screamed of knowing pain.

Roy wasn't scared of getting orders to kill again. He had gone through it once. He was sure he could get over it again... no matter how hard it would be. At least, he knew the war wouldn't be as hard this time. He knew what he would be expecting.

But so many would have to face it for the first time. He was especially worried that Fuery would have to serve.

His main concern, at first, was that Edward would be called as a human weapon. Right now, he was concerned about what the Cretans had done to him in these three months, and if he could get the boy out of the problem alive. And maybe, later on, he would have to worry about Edward's status as State Alchemist once again, if _(no, when)_ a war broke for real.

Because let's face it, the way the Führer was leading the country, it was almost definite that a war will break.

Hughes lifted his hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Man," he said, "You sure have a lot on your plate, Roy-Boy."

Roy's eyes met Hughes'. He hadn't said anything, but like Riza, Hughes knew.

"Let's go," Roy finally said. "There's no point in dawdling around doing nothing."

The two men resumed their march towards the library, not saying anything anymore. Hughes resumed his grin-and-wave mission, sending the civilians either scowling or staring in surprise and/or confusion, while Roy kept his eyes on the road.

They walked past an alley, and three steps away from it, Roy stopped.

"Roy?"

He ignored Hughes' call. He bakctracked, looking into the darkness of the alley, eyes narrowing. Did he really see...? No, it couldn't be. But was it really...?

It was.

He dashed towards the figure clad in black, ignoring Hughes' alarmed "Roy!" and skidded to a halt right before the boy. He kneeled, looking at the messy golden braid and pale visage, feeling his heart clench with fear.

"Roy, what was - " Hughes stopped speaking when his eyes landed on the figure. "_Ed_?"

Roy softly patted on the unconscious boy's cheek, who was half sitting, half laying down on the alley with his back supported by the dirty wall. "Hey, wake up," he called, tone stern but filled with worry and desperation. "Edward. Wake up."

The boy kept his eyes closed, but his brows knitted together as he gave a groan. His fingers twitched, and finally, at long last, his eyes fluttered open. He looked dazed, disoriented, and confused, but was otherwise unscathed. Roy quickly called, "Edward, can you hear me?"

Edward blinked at Roy's voice, and the muddled yellow slowly changed to the more familiar brilliant gold. "Colonel?" he asked, the word slurring in his tongue. He glanced around, not bothering to move his muscles, and confusion quickly draped over his face. "Where am I?"

"Senna," Roy answered. "Are you alright?"

Edward was still glancing around, eyes darting here and there in equal parts confusion and something that seemed to be wariness. He slowly forced himself to a sitting position as he grunted at the effort. He didn't answer Roy's question.

"Edward?"

Edward's eyes met his, and to his dismay the gold was beginning to get foggy again. Edward blinked a few times as his eyelids slowly closed, fighting to keep himself awake.

"Edward! Hey!" Roy shook the boy, hands on his shoulders and keeping him upright. He was practically the only support Edward had, and if he let go Edward would definitely fall to the ground.

His eyes snapped open once more, but they didn't seem to have even an ounce of clarity. "Colonel Roy Mustang," he slurred, eyes slipping close once more, "First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye..." And he lost consciousness once again, faling forward and slumping into Roy's chest.

Roy looked up to Hughes, and their eyes met, both having the look of confusion.

Not far away from the alleyway, a brown haired man with twinkling grey eyes calmly sipped his coffee in a café. He then smiled a smile that held equal parts remorse and relief. "It's done," his lips whispered.

* * *

A/N: yesss, another chapter. Bit longer this time. My writing streak has not ended yet!

And guys, I'm... touched. Reading the reviews was an experience like no other. I didn't think I'd receive that kind of message, seeing that we don't know each other in real life and stuff, and it truly touched me. *dabs eyes with a handkerchief* But really, you don't need to worry about me. Like I said, I'm in holiday and I've got nothing to do anyway. Writing actually helps me from getting too bored.

However, sadly, I will soon go back to school and that means I won't be able to write as much. Updates will go down to once a week, I think, but I'm not going to schedule it. Scheduling these kind of things usually urge me to procrascinate instead, so that's kinda a bad idea.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review on your way out. Have a nice day!

*EDIT: I've just realized that here Alphonse said that he was put in a crate which was placed in an abandoned warehouse while Gregory, in the previous chapter, said that he was placed in the library. I've just fixed it and changed Alphonse's speech to 'library's warehouse'. Let's just say that the warehouse contains books that are considered dangerous or illegal and no one ever comes there, which is why no one found Al in all those three months.


	4. Attacked

Chapter Four: Attacked

To say that Riza Hawkeye was confused was the understatement of the year.

Right then, the entirety of Mustang's team plus Alphonse and Hughes were either sitting or standing around a hospital bed. On top of it was the very previously missing boy who they had been trying so hard to find, dead asleep.

No, to say 'sleep' wasn't exactly right, either. According to Alphonse, Edward slept like a dog. There would be grunts and mumbles, sharp breaths and sighs, and even the occassional sobs when he was haunted by nightmares. The Edward right then was simply unconscious, lying on the bed with eyes closed, pale faced with an IV connected to his arm. He was back, and according to the doctor that tended him he would be fine.

But his return was still a swirling vortex of puzzles. Did he escape? Was he released? Although they were sure he was really kidnapped, there was no sign of abuse on him. There was no wound on his person, he hadn't been starved, all of his vitals indicated that he was healthy. In fact, the doctor had told them that he was convinced Edward had been receiving the best care someone could ever receive, and that he believed the boy had been exercising, as well. He also believed that the reason why Edward had been unconscious for so long was because there was a foreign substance in his body that put him in that state, one that was actually quite harmless to his body despite the deep sleep it induced. They could only wait until Edward's body purged the substance out naturally.

Alphonse stood closest to Edward's bed, staring at him intently with hope burning in his glowing red orbs. Because Edward was back. That was all that mattered, for now.

They stood in tense silence, waiting for the boy to wake up. And finally, after hours of waiting, he did.

Edward gave a soft groan, frowning a bit as his eyelids fluttered open. Slowly, he blinked the sleep away and looked around the room.

"Al?" was what came out of his mouth first.

"Brother!" Alphonse nearly yelled out of happiness. He fidgeted, looking like he wanted to wrap Edward in a bone-crushing embrace then and there, but worried that his brother wasn't up to it yet.

"Why are you so excited?" Edward asked, lips pulling to a weak smile, his voice was scratchy and hoarse. Alphonse handed him a glass of water, which he took gratefully and sipped slowly. Then he looked around, finally realizing that he was connected to an IV, and frowned unhappily before asking, "Why am I in a hospital?" Then, he added, "And why are you all here?"

Roy frowned, staring at him intently. "Don't you remember?"

Edward blinked in genuine confusion. "Remember what?"

The frown deepened. "Tell me what's the last thing you remembered."

Riza watched as the alchemist raised a brow and thought. And thought. The time passing while he thought about it grew longer and longer, and panic started to show in his eyes. "I'm... not sure," he admitted at last. "I think when Al and I checked into the inn we're staying in? But that doesn't feel right, either..."

Alphonse stared at his brother, unmoving. "But... that can't be right..." his voice was barely above whisper.

"Why?" Edward asked, the question directed to everyone and no one at the same time. "What happened to me?"

Hughes walked closer and placed a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Alright, Ed. I need you to calm down first. Take a deep breath. This is probably going to be hard for you to accept."

Edward's confusion only grew. "Why? Just tell me!"

The group stared at each other, not quite sure what to say but knowing that they had to tell Edward anyway. He was the one involved. He needed to know.

In the end, it was Breda who spoke up. "Alright, kid, here's the thing. You were missing for three months."

Edward's eyes were as wide as saucers. "I was - three months - what?!" He shook his head, shaking Hughes' supporting hand away. "Don't joke with me! How is it possible that I was missing for three months?!"

"You were kidnapped, Brother," Alphonse told him quietly. "We went to the city's library after we checked in the hotel. You were taken by some Cretans soldiers. Don't you remember?"

"No... I don't know anything about that," Edward shook his head in confusion. "It's... I don't know. I can't explain it, myself. It feels like some time has passed since we got here. But I can't remember anything about it. I feel like there is a huge chunk missing."

Riza frowned in concern. Just what exactly was going on?

Apparently Roy thought the same. His brows were knitted together in deep thought. At last, he shook his head calmly. "You've only returned for about a day," he said. "It's possible that you're just confused. We can figure it out later. For now, I think it's best for you to just rest and and regain your bearings, Fullmetal."

Riza's sharp eyes caught the change immediately.

His eyes lost their gleaming shine and left behind a hollow luster of gold that simply screamed wrongness. His muscles went lax momentarily, before a sudden twitch in his flesh finger started a chain reaction. Then, he was a flurry of movements no one could stop. His hands clapped together and created a sharp, piercing echo that sounded so much more sinister than usual, and sparks of blue lit the room as he transmuted his automail arm into a blade. His previous signs of weakness seemed to be gone as he sprang and lunged towards Roy, yanking the IV off, menacing and murderous, yet his eyes were empty the whole time.

Roy, to his credit, reacted quickly. Although clearly surprised, he immediately raised his arm to block the automail's deadly slash. The military blue jacket was ruined immediately. He frantically tried to widen the distance between them, but Edward relentlessly pursued his steps.

"Fullmetal, stop!" he ordered. Somehow, the emptiness in Edward's eyes only seem to double, as his movements became faster and more furious. His arm moved in lightning speed, targetting vital points of Roy's body. The blade nicked his neck, not enough to be life threatening but left the small, open cut bleeding anyway.

Riza quickly whipped her gun out and aimed to Edward, wishing to scare the boy off so he could stop attacking the colonel. "Edward!" she called, wanting to tell Edward to stop being foolish, but none of the words even had the chance of escaping her mouth as once his attention was drawn to her, Edward changed his target and pointed his blade towards her, instead.

"Brother! What's gotten into you?!" Alphonse screeched, horrified.

Edward didn't give any kind of response to him. It was as if he couldn't hear Alphonse. Infact, his attention seemed to be drawn only to Roy and Riza, and he ignored the rest of the group altogether as if they weren't even there. He dashed toward Riza, blade arm raised just like when he shot himself out of bed to Roy. Riza quickly sidestepped him, finger removing the safety on her gun, and threatened, "If you move any more I'm going to shoot you!"

Edward ignored her warning. He didn't even wait for her to finish her sentence before dashing off with raised blade menacingly.

It was Havoc who moved the fastest. Before Edward reached Riza, before she could make a decision of whether or not to fulfill her threat, he was standing behind the crazed alchemist. His hand moved quickly and sliced the air, knocking Edward unconscious in an instant. As the boy fell like a puppet with cut strings, Hughes, who had been following Havoc's example and moved quickly, readily caught Edward before he hit the floor. He slowly, calmly lowered him to the floor and held him there.

Silence hung in the room like a thundercloud. Each person stared into the others' eyes in search of explanation that no one had. Riza slowly lowered her arm and put her gun back into its holster after putting back the safety. Roy took a handkerchief and pressed it to his wound, eyes locked at Edward who was once again unconscious. Alphonse, for the most part, seemed utterly and completely lost.

Finally, it was Hughes who voiced everyone's thought. "What," he began as he lifted Edward with a grunt and placed him back on the uncomfortable hospital bed, "in the name of the Führer's moustache was that?"

* * *

_Fire._

_Everything was burning. Her whole village was burning. She screamed and cried until her voice was no more, reaching and calling to her family, her friends, anyone, to answer her. She knew no one would. She had seen them fall. She was all alone._

_But it was just too absurd, too impossible to be true. And so, despite the burns and blisters covering her skin, she walked around aimlessly in the burning hellhole, trying to find a form of life. Someone. Anyone._

_Her feet finally brought her to the end of the rows of burning houses, and reality finally crashed down on her. She fell to her knees, sobbing. Her entire village was eradicated by the Amestrians. They used alchemy to cut down what little manpower they had and burned every single house. All for a strip of land in their territory. She screamed out hoarse curses to the Amestrians, to their military, to their State Alchemists, to their Führer. Then she found that she couldn't scream anymore. Her energy left her completely, and she finally laid down on the ground, feeling the heat of fire scorching her skin and yet not caring at all._

_"...we found a survivor!"_

_The sudden yell jerked her. Fear gripped her heart, and she started to panic. Was it another Amestrian soldier? Would she be killed? Then acceptance warmed her heart, and she found that she didn't care all that much if she was killed. At least she could see her family again, that way._

_But she wasn't killed. Instead, someone held her up to a sitting position and began talking in her native tongue. Not Amestrian._

_"Are you alright?"_

_Her autumn bronze eyes met the soldier's wood brown, and she suddenly realized that the soldier's uniform wasn't a shade of dark blue she had come to associate with death and suffering, but rather a stormy grey like the sky before rain. She stared, dazed._

"Bello?"

Gregory's voice jerked her out of her memory. She blinked in surprise and looked at him, asking, "What?"

"Weren't you listening?" his brow went up. "Dinapoli is monitoring the hospital. Do you want to check on him?"

She nodded, then frowned. "He's the only one who hasn't been seen by anyone in town, it's safest for him. Is it really alright to come see him?"

Gregory nodded. "All of the military men are in the hospital. As long as we are careful, we won't be spotted."

Sofia nodded and stood up, following Gregory out of the abandoned warehouse they used as a base and into the streets. She stared at the muscular man's back, curiosity rising, and she asked, "Why are you in the military?"

Gregory stopped and turned, eyes meeting hers with slight amusement. "Weren't you the one who always says not to get too buddy-buddy, Bello?"

"Can it, Foster. There is nothing wrong with a little curiosity."

"I suppose," Gregory responded calmly. He resumed his pace, leading Sofia through series of alleyways away from people's prying eyes, and answered Sofia's question. "There isn't really anything special. I only wish to protect my country. Creta is threatened greatly by Amestris' constant border attack, so I want to help. Now that the threat's even greater with the impeding war brewing, it's only fueled me to defend my country more." His eyes glanced towards Sofia. "And you?"

Sofia's eyes grew grim. "The Amestrians killed everyone in my village and burned it down to the ground. I was saved by my country's military. I studied a bit of alchemy to help my country, as well... I'm indebted, for it saved me when I gave up. I've only met Dinapoli after being assigned in this project. We were paired solely for this purpose."

Gregory's smile was dark. "Amazing, isn't it, how another country's military brought people from other countries against it?"

"Indeed it is," Sofia agreed.

The rest of their walk was spent in silence, and soon they reached their destination. Even from afar, they could see Lucca so calmly sitting on a chair in a bistro's outdoor patio seating while drinking cold water and eating lunch. A bit ticked off by his behavior, Sofia quickly came to him and sat on a chair across of his to avoid suspicion, glaring. "This is a job, and here you are eating to your heart's content."

Lucca shugged as Grefory followed Sofia's example and sat down as well. "I can't help it, I'm hungry. I was looking at the hospital from that bookstore over there while pretending to look for some books, but I was there for too long. The owner was giving me the looks."

A waitress came to greet them, and in attempt to act normal both Sofia and Gregory ended up ordering drinks. After the waitress was gone, Gregory looked at Lucca. "Have there been any changes?"

"Nothing that I can see," Lucca answered between chews. "But I suspect it's begun. According to the files the colonel always calls the shortie with his title."

A smile forced itself to Sofia's face. "How I would love to see that," she said.

Lucca stared at her. "I still can't believe you can be so calm about this," he said. "That's a kid we're using."

Gregory leaned back in his chair. They had had this discussion before. He knew what was going to happen.

Sofia scowled. "Kind of late to talk about that now, isn't it, Dinapoli? It's already going, the plan. If you have complaints you should have spoken about them much earlier."

"It isn't that I have complaints," Lucca said, choosing his words carefully in case someone was listening. "But he's so young. Is it really okay to use a kid, no older than fifteen, in this plan?"

"He isn't a kid," Sofia's voice dropped to a hissed whisper in her attempt to keep her voice down as her annoyance flared, glaring as her fingers gripped on the edge of the table. "The moment he gains the title of Fullmetal Alchemist, he paints a target circle on his back. He's not a kid. He's a State Alchemist. He's a _human weapon_."

"But he's still very young," Lucca argued. "I seriously don't feel good doing this. He's still just a boy. Is it even ethical to do this?" His eyes strayed over to Gregory.

The soldier sighed. "You're getting attached to him, is that it?" he asked, unimpressed. "And you're wrong to ask about ethics. There is nothing ethical about war."

It was Lucca's turn to sigh. "I suppose that's true," he admitted. "Though I have to say that I would feel much better if the boy's older."

* * *

Roy stared at the door to Edward's room after getting a nurse patch up his neck wound. Normally he wouldn't mind small wounds like that, but his subordinates insisted that he receive treatment. In the end, the image of a sexy nurse tending to him was the one that made him agree.

He got a cute young nurse instead. She, however, had a pair of fierce eyes that stared at him hatefully as she put disinfectant harshly on his wound. Like many, if not all, of the people in Senna, she too didn't like military men.

Riza was standing next to him, silent. After the little incident in the room earlier, they had decided that it would be best not to get too close with Edward for the time being. They didn't know what triggered such reaction, but it was clear it wasn't entirely Edward.

"Just what exactly posessed him to do that?" Roy growled. His subordinate .

Riza shook her head, but her resolve was clear in her eyes. "We will find out, Sir," she said with an admirable amount of conviction. Roy found himself feeling jealous of it.

Roy simply nodded and stared at the door again. Muffled confused yells echoed from the room, laced with disbelief and horrified realization. Roy's eyes slipped close and he gave a sigh. He knew. Edward knew.

There was a sound of the ever-familiar clap. Roy suspected Edward was reverting his arm back to its less harmful automail form, as when Hughes placed him back on the bed it was still a blade. He gave a sigh again. He wanted to go in and see the boy. He wanted to tell him... well, Roy didn't actually know what he wanted to say. He just felt that he should see Edward for himself, to calm him down, since he could still hear the distress in his voice, even though he couldn't hear the words.

He stood up and paced a few steps. Riza stood still, staring at him wordlessly. Roy wondered how she could be so calm. He stood next to the window, staring off to the streets. His eyes caught the sight of a small bistro just across the street. Perhaps he could just have his lunch there, with Riza. He needed a distraction, anyway. He was sure Riza did, too.

As he stared at the bistro, he saw the sight of a man wearing casual shirt and jeans, his hair brown. He was all alone, and there were a few plates and glasses surrounding him. His current plate held a yet uneaten salad and a glass of iced water was next to him. Roy watched as the man used his fork to stab a cherry tomato in his salad plate and ate it. He looked familiar, somehow, even though Roy was sure he wasn't someone he knew.

He brushed it off, chalking it up as someone's lookalike.

* * *

A/N: ah, I love Wednesdays. Lots of free time to do whatever I want. Which usually end up being simply scrolling through tumblr dashboard or write/read fanfics...

Uh-oh! Ed's gone bonker. I've been wanting to write that scene for a while. It feels good to actually have it written down!

And here's the thing, folks; I love writing. When I write, I am a goddess capable of doing anything I like to any character. Granted, since this is a fanfic I can't really cross certain boundaries known as 'canon' and therefore Arakawa is still the ultimate goddess while I'm, like, the nameless lackey or something. Still, I have limited control over my fics, which is good. And another thing I like is how I can drop hints and tease the readers. We have pretty important hints here regarding to Sofia's identity. Lucca's too, but his will be explained in a later chapters.

And I'm just going to tell you that the title, _To Bleed Each Other White_, is actually a phrase used by John J. Mearsheimer in his book _The Tragedy of Great Power Politics_ to describe a military strategy known as 'bait and bleed'. (Note: all knowledge that I have about this is courtesy of Wikipedia. Bless whoever make and manage that site) I'm not going to say what exactly that strategy is about, though. Think of this as a trivia of some sorts.

Oh, that's a pretty long author's note. Probably the longest I've ever written. Well, I hope you enjoyed the story! Please leave some reviews down below!


	5. Cuffed

Chapter Five: Cuffed

"I want to see Mustang."

Hughes's head snapped up and his eyes met Edward's. "Ed, you know it's too risky."

"Cuff me," Edward's extreme suggestion made Hughes gape. "Tie me up. Restrain me somehow. I want to see him."

"Ed, you're not thinking this through - "

"Please," the single pleading word cutting the rest of Hughes' sentence made the man stop and stare. Never before had he seen Edward so desperate.

With a sigh and a feeling that he was going to regret this, Hughes sighed. The decision was in his hands, after all. Havoc, Breda, Falman and Fuery were out eating, dragging Alphonse with them to have a chat since he had been cooped up indoors for so long. Roy and Riza had eaten earlier and were currently keeping watch outside the door. Hughes was accompanied only by Hayate. He ran a hand through his hair and answered, "Fine, if you're so sure about this."

Edward nodded in certainty as Hughes brandished a pair of handcuffs out. Soon his automail hand was cuffed to the bed's railing. Edward tugged on it experimetally before giving a nod to Hughes, approving it. And so Hughes went out of the room to fetch Roy, while Riza chose to keep watch outside.

The colonel stepped into the room, calm, but his eyes swept throuh it and landed on Edward somewhat warily. Hughes watched as the two stared at each other without speaking, the silence in the room was thick and heavy. He nearly wanted to run, but he had to stay inside to make sure nothing went wrong.

"That was me, wasn't it?" finally, Edward broke the suffocating silence. His eyes were glued to the bandage on Roy's neck.

"I'm afraid so," answered Roy cautiously. He kept track of every word that left his lips and Edward's apparent reaction to it. "It is nothing. It's just a scratch. It will heal."

"But still," Edward bit his lip in agitation, "I never meant to hurt anyone. The fact that I don't even remember doing that is just - " his words stopped, he gritted his teeth. " - is just..." his voice died away, not knowing what exactly he was supposed to say.

"It isn't your fault," Roy tried to assure him, still keeping track of his words. "The Cretans must have done something to you. Don't blame yourself too much, Fullme - " it was Roy's turn to stop, speech coming to a screeching stop. Edward's eyes were out of focus, somewhat glazed. His fingers twitched again and again, his breathing quickened. Roy blinked, realizing that the change started when he spoke the boy's State Alchemist title, and decided to abandon it for then. He contemplated for a bit before changing the title to the boy's surname. " - Elric."

Edward blinked a few times and shook his head a bit. "Did I - " his automail hand reached and yanked the cuff, creating a loud clank. "Oh. I didn't hurt you again. That's good."

"Elric," Roy was still keeping track of the words he said. "I told you it's not your fault. You've heard the story. The Cretans must have done something to you."

"That doesn't change the fact that I raised a blade against you!" Edward could barely stop himself from shouting. He took a deep breath. "I hurt you, Mustang. I aimed to _kill_ you. What will happen if I really do?"

"You won't."

"How can you guarantee it?"

Roy's mouth closed with a snap. Hughes glanced from his place by the window, wondering how Roy would handle this.

Roy stepped closer to Edward, and the young alchemist flinched and shrunk back, wary of the sudden closeness. Roy went ahead anyway, placing his two hands on Edward's shoulders and keeping him in place. "You will not kill me," he said again. His tone was heavy with conviction. "I won't let you. You are not a killer."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know. You're a lot of things, Edward Elric. You're brash, annoying, rude, hot headed, freakishly smart, a prodigy. Did I mention you being a killer? No? That's because you aren't one."

Edward stared at him with mouth slightly open, automail hand tugging at his bounds. Then, he coughed a laugh that sounded suspiciously similar to a broken sob. "How is it that you can trust me so much when I can't trust myself?" he wondered aloud, still tugging at the cuffs. "You know that's gonna get you in trouble one of these days, right?"

"It's worth it," Roy answered calmly.

Edward's hand tugged stronger. His eyes blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry."

"I told you it wasn't your fault."

"Sorry anyway."

"Try not to make so much damage and explosions next time, then."

"No promises," Edward's answer was curt. He looked away. "And, Mustang, I think you should go away."

Roy's eyes flickered with confusion. "Why?"

"I think I'm losing it."

Hughes, from his place near the window, shot to Roy quickly as Edward's eyes glazed over and he pulled on the cuff even stronger than before. The bed's railing was immediately bent. Before more damage could be done, Hughes dragged Roy out of the room, ignoring his indignant cries, and closed the door on his face. He could hear him grumbling beyond the door, but Hughes was sure Roy wouldn't try to go in.

Hughes made a beeline towards Ed, who was still pulling and tugging repeatedly. "Ed," he called, careful not to get himself kicked or punched if Edward decided to get aggressive. "Edward!" he slapped the boy's cheek lightly. After a few tries, the haze in Edward's eyes dissipated. He his hands dropped to his sides and his gaze met Hughes'. Confusion was the first thing that appeared in the molten gold before horror replaced it.

"I can't remember what I was doing," he said, voice trembling and hands shaking. "Where is Mustang? I didn't really hurt him, did I?"

"I dragged him out before anything could happen, Ed," Hughes answered with a soothing tone. "Please calm down. Don't worry. Take a deep breath. Nothing happened, I can tell you that."

Edward deflated at that, giving away a long, sighed breath. He shook his head and laughed helplessly. "He told me I'm not a murderer when I keep on trying to kill him," he said, voice broken. "Mustang's an idiot."

"But he's the kind of idiot this country needs, isn't he?"

Edward smiled, but his words and tone masked his true feelings. "That idiocy's going to trouble him sooner or later."

* * *

_"I need your help."_

_He stared. "For what?"_

_"It's a military project. You're good at your job. You will do."_

_"I'm not really that keen of having to work for military."_

_"Let's just say you're volunteering."_

_He sighed. "I really don't have much choice in this, am I? Is this all about family honor and everything, Grandfather?"_

_"Of course. I need to uphold the name of Dinapoli family line no matter what. Soon that job will fall into your hand. You might as well start making a name for yourself."_

_At that moment, Lucca Dinapoli decided he hated being the grandson of General Giovanni Dinapoli more than anything in the world._

The sound of chattering people broke him out of his reverie, and he cursed himself. He was supposed to keep watch, not daydreaming to no end. He glanced around as he took a sip of his water and nearly choked. Those were the soldiers that came together with Mustang and the armor Gregory and his subordinates disassembled. They weren't wearing those ugly blue uniforms, but he recognized them because he had been observing them for so long. Uneasiness immediately flickered in his face and he ducked to his almost empty glass of water, wishing that he wouldn't get found out. He stuffed his face with the remaining food in his plate.

His mind whirled. Would it look suspicious if he stood up and went away now?

He risked a glance towards them and found that they were talking in hushed tones to each other, but he couldn't make out their words. The blond in the group caught his stare and he gazed away immediately, feeling nervous. He emptied his glass, deciding that it would probably be better if he went away.

He had been spying the hospital for three days now. The hospital staff, for some reason, apparently decided not to release the young alchemist yet. It put a halt in their plans, and Lucca was stuck having to spy around for so long. He changed the place where he kept watch once every few hours to avoid suspicion, but since he had been around for three days he was beginning to feel wary. Sooner or later these military men would feel suspicious of the one guy who keep popping up near the hospital.

He stood up and walked to the counter, not waiting for a waiter to come to him and instead paying directly at the cashier. His path led him near, so near, to the military men's table, and his heart beat as hard as a drum. He tried to keep himself calm.

Just as he passed the table and thought he was clear, a soft voice spoke to him, "Excuse me?"

He tensed immediately, but he turned and acted as natural as he could and faced the youngest military man, the young boy with black hair and glasses. "Yes?"

"Sorry if this bothers you, but could you perhaps give us a few recommendations?" the soldier that looked like he wasn't one asked politely. "It seems that you often come to this area and we think maybe you know the best dish here."

"A - ah," he could feel relief flooding through his veins. He wasn't found out. "Sorry, but I don't really know either. I don't come to this restaurant a lot."

"Is that so?" the redhead in the group noted as he gave a sideways glance at him. "Well then, we've seen you a few times here, I say that's enough for you to decide on your favorite. Can you tell us what?"

"Uh," his eyes darted around. "The... steak is pretty good. You should try that."

"Steak, huh," the blond with a cigarette between his lips remarked. "That sounds pretty good. Except this restaurant only sells kebabs and those kind of things."

_Oh shit._ He gave a laugh. "Oh? I must have mixed it up with other restaurants, then. My bad."

The youngest soldier gave him a smile. "Oh, don't be nervous. Do we really look that scary to you?" The innocence in his face seemed to be gleaming.

"Well, you are military after all," he said in an attempt to appear casual. "News travels fast here. Pretty much everyone has already know your faces."

"Really?" the gray haired man asked in surprise. "I didn't realize that. They seem friendly enough when we don't have our uniform on."

"Well, in any case, I should go now," Lucca waved to the group, hoping that the entire conversation wouldn't blow bis cover.

"Sorry, hold on," the blond held his wrist firmly, and he pulled and struggled, but the hold didn't falter. "How'd you know we were military? We almost never left our hotel or hospital, and we haven't been wearing our uniforms for days. The townspeople don't know we're soldiers, pal. They scowl after seeing the uniform and go away, but they smile and wave when the uniform's not there."

"Hmmm," the redhead rubbed his chin. "Didn't the boss tell us to watch out for someone some time ago? In case we're being spied?"

The blond smiled. "Oh yeah! I guess he did. What was his description again?"

The suit of armor was the one that answered. His voice was surprisingly young, echoing in the metal. "Average height, thin, brown hair."

"He matches the description," the grey-haired one noted. "Should we bring him in?"

"Yep, that's the best course of action, of course," the blond grinned. His hand was still on Lucca's wrist, who had given up struggling and was instead staring with panic in his eyes. The panic intensified when the blond took a pair of handcuffs and cuffed him.

"What - you can't do this!" Lucca protested as panic swelled in his chest. He was all alone. Gregory and Sofia were both in their base, figuring out the best plan if their plan was really, truly halted. The other soldiers were sent away to Tahdu to avoid problems and suspicions. He had no way out.

"Sure we can," the redhead was wearing a lazy grin. "We're part of the military. We have the authority to detain someone if it can help with our investigation. Sorry, pal, you're coming with us."

Yep. Lucca was truly screwed.

* * *

"Colonel?"

Roy jolted in mild surprise. He blinked owlishly and grudgingly realized he had almost fallen asleep in the hospital. He looked up to meet the eyes of the doctor who took care of Edward. "Yes?" he answered at last.

"We've decided that Mr. Elric is clear and is free to go," the doctor informed with a professionally blank face, though a hint of dislike betrayed his eyes. "I believe he is now packing whatever he has in his room with Mr. Hughes' aid. Will you please do the necessary paperwork to release him?"

"Of course," Roy nodded and stood up. His eyes met Riza's and a silent communication occured between them.

_Take care of things here,_ his eyes spoke to her.

_Yes, sir,_ her eyes responded back, accompanied by a slight nod almost invisible to the naked eye. Satisfied by the answer, Roy was soon gone.

As soon as he reached the reception desk where a woman in her mid-forties was waiting with the necessary documents, Roy took a pen from his pocket and began filling the paper. All the time, the lady stared at him like a hawk.

"It's done," Roy said after a while, giving the papers to the woman. She nodded, still staring as she took the papers from his hands. Then, she opened her mouth and asked,

"How come a little boy like him is part of the military?"

Roy gave a grim smile. Although the townspeople still didn't know Edward was a State Alchemist, the people in the hospital knew. "I'm afraid it's not my place to answer. I can only say that Edward Elric joined the military on his own accord."

"Aren't you the equivalent of his guardian? How come you let him join then?"

"I'm supposed to be his guardian, huh," Roy murmured, ignoring the lady's heated question. "I guess I've failed then. He went missing and I didn't act quick enough. We can only be thankful that he is physically unharmed." _Mentally, however..._

The lady seemed to be ready to start a screaming lecture at him, but Roy was saved from whatever vile words she was about to say when a hand tapped his shoulder. He turned and came face to face with Havoc.

"What is it?" he asked.

Havoc grinned a meaningful grin. "Remember that ongoing chess game? We've captured one of the enemies' piece."

Roy blinked as the implication sank and let himself a smirk. "Ah, is that so?" he drawled. "I'll have to check on it, then. This seems to be an interesting development." He threw a faint smile at the lady and nodded slightly before turning away, Havoc following him immediately.

"By the way, Sir, is the chief alright?" Havoc asked as they walked away from the receptionist's angry glare.

"He's free to go," Roy answered. "I was just filling the documents to release him. How many rooms do we have in _The Poppy_?"

"Three, including the Elrics' room."

"That'll suffice. I take you've put this taken piece in one of the rooms?"

Havoc's face was that of indignation. "Of course. The others and Alphonse are with him. He's secured."

The smirk in Roy's face grew wider, bordering on a grin as his eyes glinted with inner light and his fingers twitched as if he was itching to a snap. "Good," he remarked as the grin receded to a more familiar-looking smirk. "Let's get started, then."

* * *

A/N: I meant to have this chapter posted earlier this week but it had been really hectic. It was pretty bad, I almost had a breakdown a few times, but things are finally calming down and I can finally finish this chapter, so all is well. Granted, I still need to deal with the aftermath of everything... so I can't promise you an update next week. Hopefully I can still write and post, but from now on I guess updates will be really sporadic. Sorry about that.

Anyway, things are finally picking up here. With Lucca captured, we're gonna get to the climax soon. I expect this story will end in 3-5 more chapters. But I can't really say, since I'm bad at estimations.

Last but not least, please review! It's gonna make me feel really happy. Seriously, the joy of reviews is miraculous.


	6. Revealed

Chapter Six: Revealed

Roy's midnight black eyes pierced through the captive's grey with the intensity of a brandished sword. So this was one of their enemies?

He'd make him feel sorry he had ever touched Edward.

He was sitting across the captive, who was cuffed to his chair. Havoc and Riza were behind him, while Falman and Breda kept watch for possible ambush, while Fuery contacted the Southern HQ to ask for reinforcement to handle the captive and possibly capture his coworkers. Hughes, as usual, was keeping an eye on the brothers.

"Let's start with something simple," Roy's voice was a tad bit lower than usual, rumbling like thunder in the distance. "Name."

The man looked away.

Scowling, Roy snapped his fingers. Controlled flames fanned its way around the man, circling him and getting dangeriusly close without burning anything. The man shrieked and blurted, "Lucca! It's Lucca!"

Hm. It was so easy to see that this man was no military. He had no spine.

The flames dissipated and Lucca looked at Roy with barely suppressed horror in his eyes. His face was white as sheet, and Roy had to resist the urge to laugh. He felt bad looking at a man who was clearly scared shitless, but hey, he needed information. Besides, it was his own fault for taking one of Roy's in the first place.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Roy asked with slight mock coloring his tone. He flexed his fingers purposefully and smirked when Lucca flinched. Good, maybe he'd be more cooperative. "Now then. Three months ago I sent my youngest subordinate to this town to investigate a series of robbery. He went missing. Were you the one who took him?"

Lucca gulped and fell silent, but after a moment of contemplation he opened his mouth and answered, "Yes."

Roy smirked, basking in a sense of victory. So this was a pretty important piece, after all. "Are there more of you?"

"Yes."

"How many?"

The gaze the bound captive gave was surprisingly steady for someone who was clearly scared. "Are you asking about the total number, or the head of the operation?" Roy simply quirked his brow up, and Lucca huffed a long exhale. "Many. But not too many to be considered surpicious."

"Where are they now?"

A hollow laugh escaped his lips. "If you aim to capture us, you won't. Most of us are in Tahdu. Good luck trying to find our particular bunch."

Roy scowled at this. As much as he hated to admit it, Lucca was right. Tahdu was overflowing with enemy soldiers, and due to their efforts in defending Fotset it was pretty much impossible to attack and purge Tahdu clean. Trying to find this group would be like trying to find a particular bunch of dandelions in a field full of flowers. Unless he tried to lure them out somehow...

Lucca, seeing his scowl, allowed himself a small bitter smile. "Using me as a bait isn't going to work either. My coworkers are quite... devoted to their cause."

"Even the more reason to squeeze you dry of information, then," Havoc noted behind him, calmly cracking his knuckles as he blew a cloud of smoke. Riza stayed silent as always, but there was a sound of cocking gun accompanying the smell of tobacco and gunpowder. Roy didn't let it show in his face, but he couldn't help but feel sorry when Lucca's face went a shade whiter. He was never at the receiving end of an interrogation, but Roy suspected it didn't feel too good.

Something in Lucca's eyes seemed to be more desperate, now. Considering that Havoc had just implied that they would use any means necessary to get him to talk, Roy wasn't surprised. "An exchange," the captive said as his breath quickened. "Isn't that what you alchemists always use? I'll give you information, but later you'll have to let me go."

"Let you go? I don't think so," Roy's face once again adopted a scowl. "You took my subordinate. You did something to him. You changed him into something that even he himself is scared of. And I am a hundred percent certain you didn't enter Amestrian grounds by legal means. The way I see it, you'll end up in jail."

"At least let me have a lighter sentence, then," Lucca asked, downcast, looking like he had surrendered to his fate. "I can't run anyway. I'd rather not be treated like a trash in prison, or worse, end up facing the firing squad."

"I cannot promise anything, but I'll do what I can," Roy said after giving it a moment of thought. "Now then. Start talking."

Lucca looked around, but rather than trying to escape he looked like he was figuring out how to put his thoughts into words. The first thing that he said was, "If you don't mind me asking first... where do you think I'm from?"

"Why is that important?" Roy raised a brow. He could hear both Havoc and Riza shift behind him. "Is it Creta?

Lucca gave a smile. "Wrong," he said. "Maybe this will help a bit. My full name is Lucca Dinapoli."

"Dinapoli?" Riza, at long last, finally uttered a word. "That's not a Cretan name, is it?"

" It's not," Lucca answered. "I don't know about here but in my country everyone knows the name Dinapoli. The name itself should be more than enough as a hint, really."

Roy lapsed into a thoughtful silence. True, the name did sound familiar. But at the same time it also held a touch of foreigness, unfamiliarity that didn't make him feel comfortable. Dinapoli. Whose name was that?

I t was Havoc, in the end, who choked on the air he breathed. "What the - Dinapoli? As in General Giovanni Dinapoli?"

Giovanni Dinapoli? Roy had heard of him. He was an Aerugian general who was quite intent on waging a full blown war with Amestris, as opposed to Prince Claudio Rico Aerugo's wish to take a more peaceful approach. Unfortunately, unlike Amestris, the head of the State and the head of Military in Aerugo were two positions that were taken by different people. As such, even though the prince might not agree with the plans they had the military could still take measures against other countries.

"You're looking at his grandson. Nice to meet you," Lucca smiled dryly.

"But... Dinapoli is from Aerugo!"

It was only then that the whole situation came crashing down on Roy, as he realized just how much bigger it actually was. Dealing with Creta alone would be difficult enough, but to have Aerugo thrown into the equation as well? And why would the two countries get mangled together in the problem in the first place?

"You've got a lot of things to explain, Dinapoli," Roy growled. "You'd better start talking."

Lucca leaned back into the chair he was bound to, eyes not meeting any of his captors'. "We all know how border disputes between you Amestrians and Cretans have gotten worse over the year," he began, and to be completely honest Roy couldn't tell if the 'we' was referring to all of them together or the Aerugians alone. "And it's getting pretty ugly. The death count is still going, I heard. Both countries refuse to back down."

Roy's eyes stared at Lucca's intently, even though he was still not looking back. "The thing is," Lucca continued, "Creta is actually being pushed back. You Amestrians won't realize it, but more and more soldiers are getting assigned to the Creta-Amestris borders. Creta doesn't have nearly enough manpower to defend its other borders. Not to mention the rumors about war that Amestris seems to be content to face. The higher-ups in Cretan army is getting scared.

"That's where we come in. Creta knows Aerugo had been pretty bitter with Amestris, to, considering how much land Amestris has robbed from us." There was a slight tone of annoyance in his voice, but his face remained shrouded by apathy. "Not to mention the dead innocent Aerugians that are involved in the battles somehow. So Creta came to us with a proposition to form an allience against Amestris.

"My grandfather liked that idea. Alone, we have no chance against your military prowess. But together, Aerugo and Creta might have a chance to win. We plan to take back what you've stolen from us and take over all of your land, if this plan succeeds. Should it go well, we plan to make a treaty with Drachma as well and divide Amestris by three so that border disputes and the like can be avoided, if not eliminated entirely. For now though... we have no plan to drag Drachma in, not yet. Drachmans are cruel and sly. We have no idea if they'll stab us in the back. Better not take any chances."

Roy listened intently, arms crossed in concentration and finger tapping against his forearm. It made sense. It would be a logical step for both Aerugo and Creta to join forces against a more powerful enemy. And Amestris made a _very_ powerful enemy. The military prowess alone was incredible, not to mention the numerous State Alchemists in the ranks of the soldiers. Yes, a war against such country would end in disaster for weaker countries, for sure.

A slight rattle from the door. Roy ignored the noise, thinking it was the wind, focusing instead on Lucca's words.

"Even with our forces together, there is no guarantee that we will win against Amestris," the Aerugian continued. "Amestris is strong, after all. So we came up with a plan and created a small team to infiltrate a town near the borders, which will help us operate more easily. We studied about you State Alchemists for months. We chose a few targets, and we picked one that seems to be easiest to subdue."

"And this is Edward Elric," Roy said. It wasn't a question, but rather a statement. Lucca nodded at this.

"He would be the easiest to bait," Lucca explained. "After scouring over papers we found a pattern where the youngest alchemist of the State is always present in a town whenever a red stone is mentioned. So we staged a crime and planted the red stone. The plan worked like a charm. Edward Elric came to Senna, which we picked because it is close to both Creta and Aerugo and yet not exactly affected by border battles."

"What," Roy growled as he leaned forward, suddenly feeling very anxious, "exactly is the plan?"

For the first time since he began his explanation, Lucca's eyes met his. "To take a State Alchemist and control him so that he destroys his own country from the inside, and we will take care of the rest and bring down Amestris after the strongest threat has been eliminated by our chosen pawn. We chose Edward Elric. Sooner or later, he will be the downfall of Amestris."

A loud bang and the sound of fleeing footsteps drew Roy's attention away from Lucca. He turned to the door and realized with a start that it was ajar. A peek of red was visible from the gap, and Roy recognized it as Edward's coat. His eyes widened.

"Edward," his lips whispered.

* * *

Gregory watched as Sofia walked in circles and chewed her on fingernail. He knew he wasn't any better, with him clenching and unclenching his hands in anxiety.

Lucca was captured.

They had been careless. Even if he had less of a risk of being captured, having someone with bare minimum military training to spy on a group of veterans for three days straight was stupid. Not only did it stop their plan with a very big roadblock, it also left a very high risk of a leak of information. They had to counter this, somehow. One way or another.

"Do you think we can get him back somehow?" Sofia asked.

"Only if he isn't heavily guarded," Gregory answered. "We should scout ahead first. If we can get any amount of information whatsoever, it will greatly help us."

"Then let's do some information gathering," Sofia turned to him, determination litting her eyes. "We need to get him one way or another."

"And risk getting caught ourselves?" Gregory raised his brow at Sofia. He liked that she was dedicated to her cause and was quite determined to see it through, but her rash behavior was troublesome.

"They're busy guarding Dinapoli. It should be fine," Sofia answered. She pulled her long hair into a ponytail and jammed a hat to her head. "Even if we can't get him we need a way to gather information anyway. Without proper knowledge of the situation it would be impossible to proceed, no?"

Realizing that Sofia was speaking the truth, Gregory sighed and took his coat. "We'd better be more careful. There is no guarantee Dinapoli doesn't tattle. He might be giving our description as of now."

Sofia gave a snort. "Haven't I said it before?" she asked, tone cold. "Even if the Amestrians torture me I won't speak a word of Creta or Aerugo. If Dinapoli's already spilling everything, there will be no more information from me."

"You do realize that military interrogation can be very harsh, right?"

"I still won't speak a word. I'll make sure of it one way or another." As they walked out of the warehouse, Sofia grumbled, "Just our luck that from all us three, the one that has to get captured is the one who's the most half-assed about this."

Gregory glanced at her, for some reason irritated at her choice of words, but... half-assed was actually a decent description of how Lucca had been acting about the whole thing. He joined the project because of his grandfather's request, unlike Gregory and Sofia who joined willingly. He was never a hundred percent serious while working, and Gregory suspected it was a way for him to rebel against General Dinapoli. He remained indifferent to many aspects of their jobs, and was rather reluctant to have to condition the Fullmetal Alchemist into their perfect little pawn and instead sympathized with the boy. Only after Sofia yelled at him did he became more willing to plant so many suggestions and commands into the boy's mind.

"Come on," Gregory simply nudged her ahead. The two made their way through the alleys that had become familiar after being their designated route to avoid prying eyes for so long. The journey was spent in tense silence, with eyes glancing warily, feet shuffling to avoid making more noise than necessary, and breathing controlled to keep themselves calm. Then, suddenly, Sofia jerked to a stop and pulled Gregory aside.

"What?" the man asked gruffly.

"It's the boy."

He looked at where her finger was pointing and blinked in recognition. He had been focusing on their back to make sure they weren't being followed, and now that he saw the boy walking ahead of them he was utterly confused. He looked completely and utterly lost, for some reason. But wasn't he with the Amestrian military?

"Let's take him."

Gregory's eyes flitted to Sofia. "A hostage situation?"

Sofia nodded. "Him for Dinapoli. And while he's with us I can work with him further. Our plan needs to get going."

"We need to make sure he doesn't make a fuss," Gregory studied the boy, who was now standing hunched at the streets with his breathing quick and heavy. "Has Dinapoli planted a trigger to put him under?"

Sofia nodded. "It won't be too hard. Let me get to him."

And so Gregory watched as the woman approached the young alchemist, nearly soundless in her steps. She tapped the boy's shoulder and he jumped, turning with fright evident in his eyes, while Sofia simply smiled the light smile she wore when they first abducted the teenager in the library.

"Hello, Fullmetal."

* * *

Roy tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly, glaring at Lucca. He could practically feel Hughes doing the same by his side.

He knew he couldn't blame him. There was no one that could be blamed in their entire situation, as unfortunate as it was. Edward was simply standing at the wrong place and at the wrong time.

Apparently, after Hughes drove the Elrics to the inn and left for a quick stop at the toilet, Edward decided to have a walk around the inn. A small excercise, he said, to make up for the days he spent in hospital bed. Apparently he head the investigation that took place. And he bolted out of the inn.

The whole team was immediately sent to retrieve him, Alphonse tagging along with them. Riza insisted to come too, even though she knew that Edward might come to her with his blade raised once again.

"We can use it to our advantage, Sir," she had explained. "If he does attack me, I'll have a chance to pin him down, as well. That'll make it easier to bring him back."

Roy didn't like it, but he had to agree that Riza had a point. To ensure her safety, he sent Havoc with her, since he was the best hand to hand combatant in the group. After the team was scattered, he and Hughes resumed their interrogation. And now that Hughes was helping with questioning the captive, he could see how Hughes earned his position in the Investigations Office.

"Tell me one thing in detail," Hughes said, "You picked Edward Elric as a target. Why? Only because he is the easiest to bait?"

Lucca stared with his head tilted aside.

"Your plan is very detailed," Hughes elaborated. "The conditioning that you mentioned, that you applied to Ed. The way you scoured over Amestrian papers to study on your target. It's all very detailed, it's honestly amazing to hear. But the way you described you picked Ed sounds really sloppy. It's almost as if you just plant the crime in Senna and hope that he will be the one to come."

Lucca shook his head. "No, we were sure he'd be the one to come. If he didn't come we planned to drop the whole thing and try again in a different city."

"Has Edward always been your target from the start?" Roy frowned. They chased after the boy so relentlessly. Why must it be Edward? Why not other alchemists?

To their surprise, Lucca shook his head. "He wasn't our target."

"What do you mean? You went for him. You said you chose him."

"I did say we chose him. But he wasn't our target."

Now Roy was confused. "If he wasn't your target why did you get him?"

Lucca stared at him, and suddenly Roy wasn't sure he wanted to know. There was something in the way those grey eyes were gazing at him. Calculation was there. But that was the only thing he could recognize. He couldn't tell what else was there, the thing that made him feel very uncomfortable. Apparently it unnerved Hughes as well. He shifted on his feet, hand brushing to Roy' shoulder.

"Both Creta and Aerugo agreed that State Alchemists are our greatest threat," Lucca started, "but among all one in particular is very famous. His alchemy is known to leave devastation in its wake, and it is known that there is a certain... guard that keeps him safe at all time, skilled with weaponry. Both the alchemist and the gunner are dangerous when they're on their own, but together they pose a threat greater than ever."

Roy stared, wide-eyes, knowing that he wouldn't like this. Oh no, he wouldn't.

"Then we realize that Edward Elric was a potential threat, so why not wipe them all out together? Elric will end up in jail, and even if he doesn't we'll use him to kill as many alchemists as possible. His young age will draw attention away from him. It was even better when we know that our true targets work closely with Elric. That's the main reason why we chose him and not other alchemists."

Hughes gasped. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. "You mean..."

Lucca nodded. "We chose Edward Elric. But our true target wasn't Fullmetal... it was never Fullmetal."

Roy felt his world crumble as Lucca revealed,

"It was always the Flame Alchemist and The Hawk's Eyes."

* * *

A/N: bam, baby. Turns out I still got time to write after all. At this point I'm fairly convinced that writing is my way to escape reality. Which is... both amusing and disturbing, in a way.

And thank you for the wonderful reviews! I'm happy that so many people are enjoying this. 25 reviews is like the most I've ever gotten and it's making my day so much brighter. And the view count is nearing a freaking 2000! I wish I could hug and kiss each and every one of you. Let me send you virtual kisses instead. :-*

Anyway, I've been wanting to write this chapter for so long! I'm so happy that's finally on paper. Online. Whatever. The point is, this is what I've been keeping for so long, and it's fantastic to finally write it down. Do any of you have guessed that Aerugo is involved in all of this? I've dropped hints!

Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Hopefully even more. Leave me reviews, tell me what you think!


	7. Used

Chapter Seven: Used

_"I'm Sofia Bello. Nice to meet you."_

_To be completely honest, Gregory didn't think it was nice meeting the young woman. While she was smiling at him politely with her hand outstretched, awaiting a shake, her smile never reached her cold autumn bronze eyes._

_"Gregory Foster," he shook her hand. "I look forward to work with you."_

_"Likewise."_

_They sat in the white room, accross the table draped with cream colored tablecloth, looking at the high-ranked Aerugian general standing by the window while stealing glances at each other, assessing the other's capability. Not long after, a man came in and blinked when he saw the group, then he gave a wry smile._

_"I guess we will be working together then," he said nonchalantly. His eyes wandered to Sofia and he grinned. "Long time no see, Sof. Still working on the alchemy thing?"_

_"I've received my title as an alchemist appointed by the military," Sofia informed, a hint of smug pride mixing with annoyance in her voice. "And as I have told you before, it's Bello for you."_

_"If you insist, Milady," he answered mockingly before turning to Gregory. "Lucca Dinapoli. Grandson of the big shot general over there. Hope we can all work together just fine!"_

_The so-called big shot general turned and fixed his hard glare to Lucca. "Sit down, Lucca. Time for us to start the meeting."_

_It somewhat unnerved Gregory, being the only Cretan in the room. But considering that Creta couldn't spare too many soldiers to this project due to border disputes with Amestris, he could only endure. Gregory sat straighter in his chair._

_"We already know why we're here," General Dinapoli started. "Preparation against Amestris and a way to weaken its forces. Here's our plan..."_

_The plan was easy to understand. Take an alchemist, condition him (or her) to destroy Amestris, then kick whatever rubble still stood until everything crumbled to the ground. The problem was who._

_"Why not that snappy guy? The Flame Alchemist, I believe?" Lucca proposed nonchalantly._

_"He's too up high in the ranks, it will be hard to abduct him," Gregory answered._

_"That may be true," General Dinapoli agreed. "However, both I and all other generals from both Aerugo and Creta agree that the Flame Alchemist must be one of the first to die, along with the lady sniper that guards him, the Hawk's Eye. They hold too much of a threat to be left until later. If we want to win this war they need to be taken out of the game early on." He threw a file at the table. "Fortunately, our sources in Amestris have managed to find this."_

_Gregory was the one who opened the file. The first pages revealed the basic information of both Colonel Roy Mustang and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, as well as the rest of their team. The rest, which took pretty much three quarters of the total documents included, had the information of a golden haired, golden eyed boy._

_"The Fullmetal Alchemist?" Sofia read softly._

_"Youngest State Alchemist in Amestrian history," General Dinapoli said. "He works under Flame. If we can get him, we can get Flame and Hawk."_

_Gregory nodded in agreement. "It seems like the easiest way to do it. And after we can always use him to kill the remaining threats in Amestris."_

_Lucca, however, didn't seem too thrilled. He stared at the photograph of the golden boy with reluctance in his eyes. "Is it alright to use him? He's so young."_

_"Age has no importance here," General Dinapoli glared at him. "He joins the military. He is a soldier, not a child."_

_Lucca shook his head. "Still. I don't feel really good having to use someone so young. He's so... innocent."_

_It was Sofia who spat out thorny words at him. "Innocent?" she repeated. "Which one would you rather sacrifice, then? The innocence of a youth who willfully became a human weapon, or the innocence of thousands and millions of Aerugian and Cretan youths who will be caught in war? Choose, Dinapoli."_

_And Lucca chose to protect his fellow Aerugians._

* * *

_When Gregory entered the room, Sofia was sitting in front of the unconscious Edward Elric, who had been put on a chair in a sitting position although his head kept lolling to the side. Her hands held something that looked like a make-up kit of some sort, and she was currently drawing something on the young alchemist's face._

_"What are you doing?" he asked curiously._

_"Doing my alchemy," she answered. Lucca was next to her, watching as her fingers stroked and brushed lines and symbols to Elric's face. Gregory walked to get a closer look, finding that Elric's forehead and cheeks had been painted with something akin to alchemical arrays. After a while, Sofia's lips curled into a satisfied smile. She turned to Lucca. "It's ready."_

_Lucca nodded. "Then let's start after he wakes up."_

_"I'll wake him up then."_

_Gregory looked at Sofia in a part amusement and other part bemusement. The kid was knocked out from inhaling the gas they had painstakingly created for so long. He wouldn't wake up so easily._

_To his surprise, Sofia cupped Elric's face in her hands and closed her eyes, brows knitted together in concentration. White-purple flashes crackled in the air, and slowly Elric's eyes opened._

_"Alchemy is beautiful," Sofia sighed, smiling rather smugly. "Brain alchemy, even more so."_

_"Right, enough with you and your love for brain alchemy or whatever," Lucca waved her off as he forced Elric to face him, an attempt that was met with no resistance. "Just because you can mess with the chemical makeup in someone's head doesn't mean you're invincible. Let me work now."_

_"I can mess with your head so much your heart stops beating, Dinapoli. You'd better remember that before you start talking."_

_Lucca shrugged. "As far as I know I'm safe if I don't get too close to you and your vanity case." He stared at Elric's dazed eyes. "Ah, you already put him in trance. Thanks for that. Now, what sort of triggers should we put in his head, I wonder..."_

* * *

"Took you long enough."

Roy glared at the sergeant who was sent to detain Lucca. The young sergeant, clearly not used to be glared at with such piercing eyes, flinched as he moved to salute both Roy and Hughes.

"Apologies, Sirs," he said, glancing at his partner who stood by his side. "We came as fast as we could."

Hughes took over before Roy could say anything else. "Right. Thanks, Officer. This person here," he motioned to Lucca, "is... well, I guess you can say he's part of Aerugian military who entered Amestris illegally. For now keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't escape. We still need him for later. Be careful, there might be some people come searching for him later since he's got several coworkers. Once everything's done you can bring him for further questioning."

"Yes, sir," the soldier nodded obediently.

Roy and Hughes quickly jogged to the door to help the others find Edward since someone else was already keeping guard on Lucca.

"I hope you can find that boy before my coworkers get him."

Lucca's words put a halt on both Roy and Hughes' steps. "Why?" Roy asked, cold yet curious.

"I might have been the one to plant all the triggers and suggestions, but it doesn't mean that I'm the only one who can activate them all."

It sent shivers down Roy's spine, somehow, hearing that. There was no threat in his words, nor his eyes, but Lucca clearly was sending them a warning. He nodded to show that he understood it, and left.

"Let's find Hawkeye and Havoc first," Roy proposed. "I want status report from them. Afterwards we'll go find Fullmetal."

"Aye Sir," Hughes replied playfully. "Seriously though, you just want to make sure Hawkeye's fine, right?"

Roy ignored that question. "You contacted them before. Where are they?"

"Somewhere near the library," Hughes didn't tease Roy further. "So we're getting there now?"

"Of course." Roy was walking as fast as he could. He pulled on his gloves, eyes roaming on the stitched red transmutation circle. His fists clenched. He would get Edward back, and they would make Lucca uproot whatever he had planted in the boy's mind. They would fix everything.

"Sir!"

His head snapped up from his gloves and he came face to face with Riza. He stopped walking immediately. "How is the situation?" he asked without wasting any time.

"We still haven't found him yet," Havoc was the one to answer. "And it seems thst the others haven't, too." He lifted the old fashioned walkie-talkie he was holding. Typically they never used one of those things anymore, but for this mission they would have to deal with older things because they didn't bring their usual equipments with them.

Roy took the walkie-talkie and held the button down. "Breda, Falman, Fuery. Do you copy? Over."

"Breda here," the walkie-talkie crackled. "If you want status report, Sir, we still haven't found the chief."

Roy nodded as he tried to remember who Breda had been going with. Alphonse, if he wasn't wrong.

"We haven't seen him either, Sir," Falman's voice broke through the small device.

"Wait!" Fuery's sudden yell pierced the night before Falman's sentence stopped completely. "I saw someone just now. I... I think that was Major Elric!"

"Really?! You saw Brother?!" this time, it was Alphonse. It was odd to hear his voice through the walkie-talkie, given that his normal voice echoed in his hollow armor and the walkie-talkie added a layer of noise over it.

"Yes!" Fuery's voice crakled in again, more sure this time, breathing heavy. "We've called him but he ran away instead. We're following him right now."

"Tell me your position, Sergeant," Roy demanded.

"Eastern Sector, near the warehouse area."

Roy basically threw the walkie-talkie away and rushed off to the place. He could hear Hughes, Havoc, and Riza following him closely. No words were exchanged as they marched to their destination. The air about them was heavy.

When they finally reached the warehouse area, Breda was waiting there with Alphonse. Falman and Fuery were nowhere in sight.

"We think they're in one of the warehouses," Breda said when asked, "The problem is that we don't know which."

Roy clicked his tongue in annoyance. To check all of the warehouses here would take too much time. He looked around, trying to think of the best course of action to take. Then his eyes caught a brief flash of red and gold in the distance, and he stared.

It was Edward.

"I see him," he said, striding forward before anyone could stop him. But no one really wanted to. They all wanted to make sure Edward was safe.

They rushed through towering walls of the warehouses. While some of them seemed to be undisturbed by the group of strangers, others loomed ominously as if trying to chase them away. Roy suspected it was the colors of the paint. But no matter what color, Roy couldn't care less. It was night anyway, he wouldn't be able to see them clearly even if he wanted to. The most important color for him right now was red and gold, which flashed every now and then, reflecting the light of the moon hovering above them. He, along with the others, tried calling the young alchemist repeatedly, but he either didn't hear or didn't care.

"What the hell, Elric?!" Roy shouted impatiently. He was sure by now that Edward was simply ignoring them. "Answer me right now! That's an order!"

Instead, Edward entered a warehouse.

Roy had a bad feeling about this particular warehouse. It looked even more menacing than its peers, with walls painted brown and doors hanging on rusty hinges. Something just seemed... off about it. But Edward had gone inside, and they needed to get him back, so what can they do?

And where the hell were Fuery and Falman?

He turned to face Riza, Hughes, Havoc, Breda, and Alphonse. He directed his words to everyone, but his eyes were on Alphonse, trying to bring peace to the anxious soulbound armor. "We're going in."

Alphonse nodded almost feverishly. The group calmly walked inside the warehouse. "Brother?" Alphonse called as he walked.

The warehouse was empty, save for the desk scattered with paper at the middle with three chairs surrounding it. The ceiling was high, the place was large. Pillars stood to support the structure of the building, placed evenly throughout the length of the room. The group walked inside and looked around to search for any sign of life.

The door slammed close behind them.

"What the hell - " Havoc muttered as he turned around, biting at his cigarette in surprise. His gun was out of the holster. Riza had done the same. Hughes was gripping one of his normally hidden throwing knives, and Alphonse had put on a stance. Roy, himself, had his fingers poised to a snap. The warehouse was shrouded in complete darkness.

Before they could get used to the darkness, the single light bulb in the warehouse flickered on, bathing the place in yellowy light that casted long shadows around. In front of the warehouse's door stood a dark skinned man. He locked the door with an ominous click and turned to face them.

"Well! I think everyone is present, now!"

The voice came from behind them. They turned to see a dark haired woman with blazing autumn bronze eyes sitting on the paper-strewn desk. She smiled when she saw surprise in their eyes. "Ah, sorry. I was hiding before. You look a bit scary, gun and all." Her tone was mocking, in contrary of her words.

"Are you two Lucca Dinapoli's coworkers?" Hughes asked immediately,

"So you know already!" the woman clapped her hands. "He tattled, after all? Oh well, saves us the time to explain everything."

"Where is my brother?" Alphonse demanded. His echoing voice created an effect that reminded Roy of stormy nights.

"Brother, you say?" the woman lifted a brow. "Don't joke on me. How is it possible that a creature made using alchemy like you have a brother?"

Alphonse took a menacing step forward. "Tell me where Edward is."

The woman smiled mockingly. "Oh, please. That's hardly the way to talk to a lady. Besides, it's not like we're strangers. Don't you remember me, Armor Boy?"

Roy stared at Alphonse. He knew this woman already?

"Of course I remember," Alphonse answered grimly. "You're the lady in the library who took Brother. There's no way I'd forget."

She smiled, genuinely this time. "Sofia Bello. Pleased to meet you. The one that had just locked the door back there is Gregory Foster."

"We don't really care about your name. Just tell us where Edward is," Roy said gruffly.

"Impatient," Bello commented, unimpressed. "Sit back, Colonel. We have a proposition to make."

Roy wasn't surprised that Bello knew his rank. According to Dinapoli, they had studied him, his team, and Edward for quite a bit. He was intrigued by this proposition, however. "Propotistion?" he repeated.

"Yes, one that will benefit both our parties," Bello nodded. "It's quite simple, really. Give us back Lucca Dinapoli, and we will guarantee Edward Elric's return to you."

The reaction was immediate. Havoc swore, Riza removed the safety of her gun, Alphonse took another step forward only to be stopped by Hughes who had his face contorted to the ugliest scowl Roy had ever had the chance to see, and Breda joined Havoc's litany of swears as soon as the first word was spoken. Roy, himself, had to exert all self-control that he had to keep himself from snapping his fingers and burning Bello to crisps right then and there.

"You took my subordinate," he growled instead, voice rumbling dangerously. "You did something to him. You changed him into something none of us could recognize, something that even he, himself, is afraid of. And you dare propose to make an exchange?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I do," Bello met his blazing eyes easily. Her gaze remained steady.

"Then the answer is no," Hughes was the one who spoke the words.

Bello sighed. "Shame," she said. "I was hoping that we can do thing civilly. But I guess that's impossible."

"Let's do this the other way, then."

They turned to see Foster - the dark skinned man, surely the one who dropped Alphonse off at _The Poppy_ \- calmly striding behind a column. He casually waved there and walked closer to Bello. Behind him, a familiar figure of red and gold trailed along like a lost puppy before standing next to Bello, facing her.

"Brother!" Alphonse yelled. "You were there the whole time? Why didn't you answer?"

Edward didn't say a word.

Roy knew something was wrong immediately. Edward never ignored Alphonse. Not in a million years. And there was something in the way he moved, so sluggishly as if he was half asleep, and how the steady fire burning in his eyes was dimmed considerably. "Full - Elric?" he called, catching himself before saying the alchemist's title to avoid disaster, "Elric, what is it?"

"He can't hear you right now," Bello said, who was now patting Edward's head like one would do a dog. "This isn't as smooth as Dinapoli's, but for someone who's amateur in hypnosis I say this is a pretty good job."

"You only activated the triggers," Foster commented off-handedly. "Everyone can do that."

Bello gave him a glare before reaching into her pocket. Roy tensed immediately. Was she going to take out a gun? A knife? Was she aiming to hurt Edward somehow? His hands jerked forward to snap, but he stopped himself. Even if he could pinpoint his flames, Edward was standing too close to Bello. He's end up getting hurt, as well.

To his surprise and relief, instead of a weapon Bello took a pencil from her pocket. Having grown with women, Roy knew immediately that it was a pencil specially made for make up. He wrinkled his brows in confusion.

Then, she reached to Edward's face and began drawing on his forehead. "As a fellow alchemist," she said, "I'm sure you understand, Colonel Mustang, the beauty of alchemy. It can both destroy and create. In fact, one of the reasons why I end up serving Aerugian military is because of alchemy. I loathed it at first, since it's the one that brought downfall to my village. But now I've grown to love it."

"What are you doing?" Havoc asked warily.

"Do you know the field I specialize in?" she continued as if she was never interrupted. "Brain alchemy. Basically, all chemicals in someone's head is mine to alter as long as I can draw my arrays on them. Edward is one of my most successful subjects. He is such a dear to play with."

Roy fumed silently. Play with? Edward was a human being, not a doll someone could so happily pull and stretch into their perfect plaything!

She whispered to Edward's ear, and no matter how much Roy strained to hear it, he couldn't hear a word. Then, Edward turned away from her and started walking towards them.

"Brother?" Alphonse called. Uncertainty was clear in his voice.

"Brain alchemy is quite powerful on its own, but coupled with Dinapoli's hypnosis and triggers he'd plated in dear Edward's head, we've created something that we believe is the closest thing we can ever get to mind control."

Foster's words lingered in the air like an omen. Edward clapped his hands, and blue lights crackled.

Faster than a blink, an automail blade was pointed at Edward's neck.

* * *

A/N: I believe this is my longest chapter yet. Not my favorite chapter though, I prefer the previous one. (But then again I always like big reveal chapter sooo...)

So. I got some bad news for you.

As I'm sure some of you have already known, I'm currently studying in France as an exchange student. Originally I plan to go home around June, but due to health problems and possible mental health problems I'm going to go home around next week. The date isn't definite yet.

The thing is, when I left for France I couldn't access this website no matter what I do. I always get blocked somehow, and I suspect the government thinks ff net is a website for porn or something (but we can't deny that there are occasional smut slipping in here). So, if I get back home and the website is still blocked... I won't be able to continue this story.

BUT. I have another account in archiveonourown. Last time I checked, anyone can still access that website from Indonesia. I'm hoping that I'll be able to access this website anyway somehow, but well. Still, if all comes to worst, GO TO ARCHIVEONOUROWN DOT ORG AND SEARCH FOR THE USERNAME_ **twilighteve**_. That's my username in AO3. If by April this story here isn't updated, just check out AO3. I'm pretty sure that I'll only have one or two chapters left in this story, but since I'm going to be busy packing and everything I don't think I'll be able to write, so...

I've also written this notice on my profile, and if you're curious of some additional messages you can check it out.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave a review before you go! See you around!


	8. Freed

Chapter Eight: Freed

_"He's stubborn, this one. He isn't as easy to condition as I initially thought."_

_The two Aerugians and the Cretan stared at the young, golden haired Amestrian who was currently having his eyes shut tight with a pained expression gracing his features. His hands were clenched tightly, shaking a bit, and his automail fist created a slight rattling sound._

_Sofia sighed. "I don't understand. With the strong suggestions you've planted and the brain alchemy I've used, there should be no problem making sure he'll attack Flame and Hawk's Eye on sight." She snorted irritably. "Well. At least the physical training from Foster's end is going nicely."_

_"I think it's because he's used to fighting," Gregory said. "Not for killing, though. Just for defending and incapacitating."_

_"Still doesn't answer fhe question of why it's so hard to condition his psyche," Sofia grumbled._

_"If he's honestly fond of them, it'll be very hard to force him to change his mind," Lucca muttered after a moment of silence. "We'll be able to persuade him, somehow, but it won't be easy. Let's try using word trigger instead of sight trigger, it may be a bit easier to use."_

_"What word?"_

_"What about his title? He gets called that a lot by Mustang."_

_They didn't miss the sudden jerk of the boy's head when he heard Mustang's name._

_"Oooh, look at that," Lucca mused. "I have a feeling our little alchemist really doesn't want to hurt Flame. I wonder why."_

_"Perhaps he simply doesn't like to hurt people," Gregory said calmly, clearly seeing no point of arguing about it._

_Sofia scoffed. "A human weapon that doesn't like to hurt people. That's rich." She strode to the young man and cracked her knuckles. "Either way we still have some work to do. Come, Dinapoli, work your magic. I'll try to adjust whatever is in his head so he'll accept anything you plant in there."_

* * *

"STOP!"

The blade stopped, only half an inch away from the skin. Edward's eyes remained blank and unseeing.

Roy panted, feeling grateful for whatever higher being out there that stopped Edward. He coughed, only realizing that he had screamed to halt Edward. His eyes wandered to both Foster and Bello, who were watching him. There was a slight interest in Foster' eyes, but in Bello's there was only irritation, perhaps even hatred.

"Will you give Dinapoli back, then, Colonel?" Foster asked calmly. He crossed his arms and leaned to the table Bello was sitting on.

Roy opened and closed his mouth like a fish, completely unable to answer the question.

"Tick tock, Flame," Bello sang. "The more time you spend thinking, the less time our dear precious Edward here will have to continue living. And I suggest none of you should even try to attack. I've told him to stab himself if any of you got me or Foster hurt."

Roy's hands were clenched tightly by his sides. "If we let go of Dinapoli, will you ensure Edward's safety? Will the suggestions planted in his mind be taken away?"

"Mmm. Maybe."

He shook his head, "Maybe isn't good enough."

"Or perhaps..." Foster tilted his head aside thoughtfully, eyes staring straight into Roy's as if he was searching for something. Roy took a step back, feeling uneasy.

"Foster?" Bello called, brows knitted together.

"Perhaps, you want to take his place instead?"

Roy shook his head. "I don't follow."

"Keep Dinapoli. Take Edward Elric. As the exchange for that, you, Roy Mustang, have to come with us."

Once again Roy was stunned to silence. He stared at the dark skinned man with mouth hanging open in shock.

It was Hawkeye who snapped him out of the daze. "No," she said. Her tone sounded calm and collected, but there was something about the way she said it that compelled Roy to look at her. He did. And he was surprised to see Riza glaring the most intense glare he had ever seen her produce at Foster, jaws tensed and teeth clenched while her fingers twitched for guns that she didn't take, that she was so eager to use but was unable to.

He turned to face her, gulping. His eyes glanced to look at the Cretan, who was being glared at by Bello. He simply raised his brow at her, and she sighed, something akin of grudging agreement in her face.

"Why," Roy began slowly, carefully, "would you want to have me instead?"

Foster's smile was calculating and calm. "I think you know why."

There was silence in the air, thick and suffocating. It was true, Roy knew why. While Edward's alchemy was powerful, flame alchemy was more suited for war, for it was able to kill many at the same time, and in his practiced hand it wouldn't kill anyone he didn't wish to kill... not on purpose.

He gritted his teeth and turned away from Foster and Bello, refusing to even look at Edward. What should he do? If he was taken, he would lose. All of them would lose. There was a reason why he took the position of the king in their chess game.

He opened his eyes and glanced around, working the gears in his head to find a way out somehow. His eyes caught a familiar shade of black and grey behind some crates, and he realized suddenly that it was Falman and Fuery.

Had they been there all this time?

He weighed his chance and decided to take the risk. He took a deep breath. "If," he began, "I choose to go with you... will you promise no harm will be done to my subordinate?"

Before Foster or Bello could answer, Riza had strode to Roy and grabbed him by his shoulders. "What are you talking about, Sir?!" she yelled, fury and shock mixing into one.

"Yeah, Roy, I'm pretty sure there is a way out of this somehow," Hughes added.

Trying to tell Hughes somehow would probably result in suspicion because he had to turn around to him and risk having Foster and Bello see his signal as well, so he focused on Riza. "I see no other way, but if I do, trust me, I'd take it." He glanced at Falman and Fuery, desperately hoping that Riza would understand what he meant.

She did. She looked into his eyes and groaned, turning around and pinching the bridge of her nose, and though Roy couldn't see it he was sure Riza was trying to locate Falman and Fuery. While she did, he began clenching and unclenching his right hand, hoping that his hidden subordinates would see and understand. They did. Falman immediately raised his right fist and mimicked the motion to indicate that he understood, keeping himself down as to avoid being seen.

Riza, fortunately, provided the opportunity for him to start giving out the codes.

"Why are you always like this?" she asked while turning to him once again. "Diving headfirst into dangerous situations... it's happened a lot before, Sir, please don't try to tell me that you don't."

"Are you referring to the _Scar_ incident again?" _clench, unclench_. "There was no harm done, and everyone was safe. There is no point in talking about that, _Hawkeye_." _Clench, unclench_.

"Maybe there isn't, Sir, but it isn't the incident I'm worried about." Her eyes darkened. "It's your tendency to run into things without proper plan."

"Oh, are we talking about the _Ollie_ and _Ophelia_ incident now?" he clenched and unclenched his hand on each name. "That was different, Lieutenant. It wasn't the planning that was rotten. We simply didn't have enough information about the field."

"And that justifies running headlong into dangerous situations?!" Riza's voice was a harsh hiss. "I promised you I'd protect your back, but how do I do that when you're being an idiot that doesn't look ahead?"

"And now the _Thalia_ incident," once again, he clenched and unclenched his hand at the name.

"They are legitimate examples of your past stupidity, Sir," Riza stated simply.

"Are you people sure this is the right time to argue?" Bello's tone was full of annoyance and amusement. Roy felt a surge of anger when he saw that she had pulled Edward to her side (still holding automail blade against his own neck) and used his head as a place for her to rest her arm.

"Let them, this is probably the last time for them to quarrel anyway," Foster said nonchalantly. His eyebrow was raised, as if teasing.

"Roy, Hawkeye, seriously." Hughes sighed. "This isn't the time."

"Colonel, don't go with them," Alphonse's voice echoed through the empty armor. "I'm sure Brother wouldn't lke it."

"Can _Edward_ make a decision right now?" _clench, unclench_. "There is no other choice. I have to do this whether I like it or not. And I assure you, I don't."

"So now you're forcing your decision not only on him, but on all of us?" Havoc asked harshly.

"Better not do that, Boss. It went _really_ well the last time." Breda glared at him.

"And now the incident with _Diana_," Roy threw his head back as he clenched and unclenched his hand at the name. "Breda, that's a real low blow."

Discreetly, Roy glanced at Falman and Fuery. To others it would seem as if he was glancing at Riza, as she had conveniently placed herself between them to throw Foster and Bello off. They were making motions, a sign that the team often used to communicate for specific, one-word questions and answers. This time, Falman was asking, _Where?_

"Diana's the best example there is, Sir, don't blame me for using that one," Breda quipped cheekily.

Roy hit his own right shoulder twice in a motion that he hoped seemed like something out of frustration, glancing at Falman meaningfully. _Here_, he thought hopefully. "This isn't really the time to bring this up," he said impatiently.

"I have to agree!" Bello announced loudly. She had lifted her arm away from Edward's head, though he was still standing near her. "Tell me your decision, Colonel, I'm dying to know. We don't have forever to spare."

"Unfortunately," Roy agreed, purposefully using a tone that would indicate that his thoughts spoke differently. "Let's make it quick, then." Fast as a lightning, his hand made a motion to tell Falman to _do it now_.

All hell broke loose before he even lowered his hand.

Falman and Fuery were never the best shooter in their team, but they were decent. In this short distance with no wind or other factors to distract or change the bullet's trajectory, one of them (because Roy never did find out who exactly that fired that bullet) managed to hit Edward squarely at the shoulder port, and he cried out in pain as if the bullet had messed up the nervous system. The automail went limp and hung down while his flesh hand grasped the metallic shoulder.

All the while, Bello had let out a surprised squeak. Foster reacted quickly, pulling her and used the table she had been sitting on as a makeshift barricade. Then, before any of them could react, he let loose a bullet at them, hitting Alphonse's armor and ricochetting to Hughes' head, thankfully only grazing his hair before hitting the floor.

Roy moved quickly, whizzing past his subordinates to reach Edward amd dragged him away from the rain of bullets while his team quickly engaged the Cretan and Aerugian in a gunfight. He glanced at them. From where he was standing, he could see Bello putting on a glove with a transmutation circle stitched to it. He hoped that his team could handle whatever she had up her sleeve, but he didn't want to try incinerating them; not yet. He would only make himself a target, and that would be a bother if he wanted to try bringing Edward back.

He sat Edward down, pushing him to lean on one of the pillars in the warehouse. "Edward," he called urgently. "Ed! Hey!"

The boy remained unresponsive. He didn't even show a sign of hearing him.

A sudden thump and creak by his side sent him jolting, but he soon realized that it was only Alphonse. He quickly told him, "Alphonse, we need to snap him out. Help me."

Alphonse didn't even bother amswering him. He went straight to Edward, calling, "Brother. Brother, can you hear me? Wake up."

Edward's brow furrowed, but he didn't any more reaction.

"Edward, come on," Roy was practically begging by them. He let out a curse when a bullet hit the pillar just above his head. He turned, finding that Foster had aimed at him. His finger moved to snap, but before he could a wall of stone had risen ahead of him, Edward and Alphonse, creating a barrier between them and the gunfight beyond. He looked at Alphonse, who was holding a chalk in his hand, glancing left and right in what Roy could only call alert.

"Brother, seriously," he said urgently without even looking at Edward. "If you don't wake up soon I'll make sure you never get to eat Mrs. Hughes' quiche ever again!"

Edward didn't stir. Roy looked at Alphonse with disbelief in his eyes.

"Quiche?" he repeated, almost amused.

Despite their predicament, Alphonse shrugged casually. "Brother likes it."

With a shake of his head, Roy turned back to Edward. "Come on, snap out of it!" He cursed, yelling without thinking, "Fullmetal!"

The reaction was immediate. Edward's eyes widened, but there was still no recognition in there. He trashed, wriggling and squirming under Roy's hold, kicking and punching, clearly trying to attack whoever had spoken the word. He clearly tried so desperately to lift the automail hand that was now impossible to use. The automail rattled.

"Brother, please, wake up!" desperation now found its way into Alphonse's voice. "Come on. Please." Then he turned to Roy, speaking in a tone that suggested that he was beginning to lose hope, "Maybe I should call Teacher or Winry...?"

Edward jerked at the mention of the names, but otherwise showed no other sign of recognition.

"I don't think we have time to do that," Roy answered grimly. The constant _bang bang_ sound of guns still rang loudly around them.

All of a sudden he heard the ever so familiar crackles of alchemical energy, and he cursed. Had Bello finally started attacking with her alchemy? She might be specializing in brain chemicals, but there was no guarantee that she had no knowledge over other types of alchemy, however limited. He gave another curse when he felt the floor quaking. Was Bello crumbling the floor?

"Edward," he hissed urgently. "Edward, come on. Can't you recognize any of us? Can't you recognize _Alphonse_?" Again, there was no sign of change in Edward. "Edward! We don't have much time! Wake up this instance, we're having a little trouble here!"

For the first time, there was a semblance of emotion in his golden orbs. His eye twitched. Roy blinked in surprise, not expecting to get a reaction from his plead. Then his eyes widened in realization.

Before he could say anything, the wall Alphonse made was deconstructed into sand. Alphonse jumped into a fighting stance immediately, and Roy's hand was poised to a snap while the other kept a hold on Edward. His eyes found Bello standing above the crumbled wall with Foster behind her, still shooting at Roy's unit.

Bello glared at them with murder in her eyes. She lifted her gloved hand threateningly, Roy briefly scanned the circle on it, recognizing it as a circle to transmute rocks and stones. She narrowed her eyes at Roy. "You should've given us a straight answer, Colonel."

"Your question was a bit too difficult, sorry," Roy said. He felt himself adding the slightest bit of pressure to his fingertips, so very close to actually snapping fire at her face.

"You know, Mustang, if you don't want to come with us you can always hand the boy over and we can go ur separate ways," Bello huffed. She extended her other hand to Edward invitingly. "Come, Edward."

To Roy's dismay, the boy moved immediately to join Bello. Roy pushed him down again.

Alphonse stepped between Roy and Bello, still wearing his stance. "Get away from Brother," he snarled.

Bello gave an ugly scowl. "Move," she hissed. "I have no business with you."

"I'm not letting you take my brother away. Not again."

"Go away this instace, Armor, or I'll turn you into a pile or rusty metal scraps." She glared at Edward once more. "Move, Fullmetal! Come here!"

"Brother, don't!" Alphonse yelled.

Roy pushed Edward down with all his might as he struggled against the hold, clawing at Roy's hand and kicking desperately. Roy shouted a curse again. "For Heaven's sake, Edward!" he screamed at the young alchemist's face. "Wake up this instant, you goddamned atomic shrimp!"

A fist collided with his cheek and he was thrown aside. He could hear Alphonse screaming "Colonel!" in horror, but he felt surprise and relief flooding his veins when he heard the ever-familiar rant in his ears.

"Who the heck are you calling an itty bitty tiny little crustracean?!"

Ry's black eyes met angry molten gold. Edward was glaring at him angrily, flesh hand still clenched after punching him. He grinned at the young alchemist. If he had known this would work he would've called him short right from the start.

Bello was staring at Edward with mouth slightly open in disbelief. "Who the heck breaks out of hypnosis because he gets called short?" she mused to herself.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Alphonse tackled her and pinned her to the ground. She yelped in surprise. Behind them Havoc and Riza both pulled the trigger of their guns and shot Foster, one getting him in the wrist and the other in the foot. He shouted in pain and dropped his gun. Roy wasted no time pinning him down and pulling a pair of handcuffs, putting them on him.

"Edward," Hughes ran to them and held the boy on the shoulders. "Ed, are you okay?"

Edward winced. "Why is my automail port hurting me?"

Fuery walked closer to them. "I'm sorry, Sir, I had to shoot you earlier."

"That was you, Fuery?" Roy asked in mild surprise. "Good shot."

"Why'd you have to shoot me?"

Alphonse stood up as Havoc cuffed Bello. "Long story, Brother, we can talk about it later. It's better if we all get back first."

Bello snarled all of a sudden. "Don't think that this is all over," she growled through gritted teeth. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes held a manic glint. "Do you honestly think the Cretan and Aerugian military wouldn't try to get us back?"

"We'll be ready," Roy answered calmly. He flexed his hands.

Bello caught the motion and gave a shrill laugh. "No matter what you do, you won't get a word out of me," she spat. "You will get nothing, Amestrian."

Roy glanced to Foster, who wore a thoughtful expression in his face. "We'll see." He turned to Edward. "We should head back to the hotel. We'll have to make a call to get that automail looked at."

Edward groaned. "Good grief, Winry's gonna kill me."

* * *

A/N: surprise! I'm back!

It's a good thing that it turns out I can still open this website after all. Sorry for not updating earlier though. Got tangled with a mess involving school and future plans and whatnot. When I could finally write it turns out I was hitting a writer's block. Good thing I already had everything figured out and only need to jot everything down.

Officially, this should be the last chapter, but I intend to upload an epilogue later on to tie everything up nice and good, so keep yur heads up for it. No worries, you won't have to wait as long! I think it should have been uploaded by the end of next week, at most.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please leave a review before you go!


	9. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Haven't I told you that I won't tell you anything?"

"Can't hurt to try," was Hughes' carefree reply to Bello's snarl. Roy stared at them, marveling at Hughes' ability to stay calm despite his apparent dislike at the lady alchemist.

Bello laughed, shrill and bitter. "I won't tell. You can ask me all you want about the project, or the Aerugian military, or anything really. I won't give any information to you Amestrians."

"You do realize that speaking up can reduce your prison time, right?" Roy asked her incredulously.

Bello chuckled huskily. "Do you honestly think the threat of prison will change my mind?" she asked with a glare to Roy's eyes. "I," she began, voice a mix between a growl and a hiss with volume just above a whisper, "hate you Amestrian. I despise you with every cell of my being. I will not speak, no matter how I should accomplish it."

"Now let's not be ridiculous here - "

"Ridiculous?" Bello repeated ferociously, effectively cutting Hughes off. "Who's being ridiculous? Did I kill any of you Amestrians? Did Aerugo? Did we purposefully attack the cities in the borders that are unable to resist? Did we slaughter those innocent civilians? Did we - "

"We don't slaughter people," Roy scoffed even though he knew just how wrong he was. Ishval was proof enough.

"You slaughtered my village!" Bello raged with hoarse voice. "You killed my parents. You killed Sienna!" She stopped, realizing what she said, and cursed in Amestrian, Aerugian and Cretan loudly. She slumped in her chair and refused to meet the two Amestrians' eyes. She kept her mouth shut, but Roy could see her jaws moving slightly, grinding and gritting together.

"Look," Hughes began after a moment of silence, "we're sure you have your reasons. Everyone do! But let's just keep ourselves in focus and talk about this case. Did you have targets other than Roy here?"

Bello bit her lip gently and turned her face away, eyes closed and brows knitting as if in pain. She then looked at both Roy and Hughes, determination blazing in her eyes. She smiled.

"What...?" Roy mumbled. That smile unnerved him for some reason.

"Perhaps I can tell you," she said. "Perhaps, once upon a time, if we all meet again in the afterlife."

* * *

"I think you're all set to go."

Edward fidgeted and stared at the Aerugian that had somehow ended up becoming his personal therapist. "You sure? Last time I had to stop myself from punching the daylights out of Mustang."

Lucca grinned lazily. "Wasn't it because he called you short?"

"Who are you calling short?!" Edward automatically yelled. He huffed. "Yeah, I guess that's why." He eyed the turned Aerugian nervously. "But really. Everything is all fine now? I don't need to worry about suddenly starting to stab people anymore?"

Lucca rolled his eyes. At the start of their sessions he had been wary and cautious, though it was to be expected since he was an Aerugian in the midst of Amestrians. Now that he had felt more comfortable around them, he acted much more casually. "Really, nothing to worry about. Unless Sofia planted more suggestions that I have no idea about, you're all clear."

"That's comforting," Edward stated plainly. His face held an expression that suggested thst he thought otherwise.

Lucca shook his head, wearing an amused smile. "I don't think she did anything. I was the one tasked with suggestions. She was tasked with making sure everything sticks."

Edward looked at him curiously. "Where is she, anyway? Didn't you meet with her? I want to talk to her a bit. According to Mustang she hates Amestrians deeply, and I want to know why."

"I'm sure you'll meet her sooner or later," Lucca said vaguely.

"Oh, and Foster? I want to ask the same thing."

"In jail," Lucca answered curtly. He then gave a teasing smile. "What of that girlfriend of yours, anyway? Winry, wasn't it? Is she fine?"

"Not my girlfriend!" Edward yelled, blushing. "Considering that she's surrounded by automails I'm sure she's fine." He flexed his metallic hand. Two days after Lucca, Bello, and Foster were arrested Winry was called, and she rushed to Senna soon. The bullet that Fuery shot had been pried out of the automail, but it had wrecked the part that helped nerve connections with all parts of the arm, resulting in the loss of motor control over it and constant pain for Edward unless the automail was taken off and repaired. After a long scolding from Winry (which included Edward yelling, Winry roaring, Fuery interfering and getting yelled at, wrenches being thrown with deadly accuracy and Riza having to calm Winry down) and an overnight work from Winry, the automail was back in top condition and Edward could use it again. He was thankful that he didn't need to undergo any surgery and the automail wasn't too terribly damaged. Winry went back to Rush Valley soon afterwards since she had a lot of customers, but not before a goodbye wrench was thrown to his head.

Edward may miss the girl, but he definitely wouldn't miss the wrench... or the painful kiss it gave his head.

"I never actually met her," Lucca mused. "I heard she's lovely. Perhaps I can extend our sessions so that he can meet sometime."

Edward cringed at the thought of having another wrench thrown at him. "Look for her yourself. I really would rather not get a concussion anytime soon."

Lucca laughed. "Shame, we'll never get to meet each other then."

Edward stared. "Oh. You're going to jail... aren't you?"

Lucca shrugged. "Unfortunately. That's the deal I had wth Mustang. I'm going to jail, but I might get out after ten years or so. Hopefully."

"And what will you do afterwards?" Edward asked. He had to admit that he had grown to like for the Aerugian. While he did do something terrible to him, Lucca had reversed all effects, and he seemed to not like his job all that much since the beginning.

"Well I don't think I can return to Aerugo because dear, darling Grandaddy will most likely throw me out to the streets anyway," Lucca shrugged. "I'll probably become a traveller. I'm sure there are a lot of things in Amestris that I can see."

Edward nodded in understanding. "I'd say you're welcome anytime, but we don't have a house."

"I'm sure someday you'll do," Lucca grinned. "Tell your Brother I said hello, will you?"

"What, you're not gonna tell him yourself?"

Lucca laughed sourly. "He isn't really fond of me, is he?" he asked. It was true, Alphonse never did like him even though he was the more agreeable of all three criminals. Being taken apart and scattered across the town was one reason, and Lucca didn't blame him.

"No, not really," Edward admitted.

"Well!" Lucca shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll be driven to Central Prison in a few days, I think. That's a lot of time to kill. Such a shame I can't go to the bar or something, it's boring waiting here on my own."

"Isn't Foster going to be driven to Central with you?" Edward asked in confusion. He thought the two men were going to be taken at the same time.

"No, he had no other thing to do so he was driven there two months ago."

"I see," Edward said, "Well, then, good luck. Central's pretty decent, but I heard prison isn't the best place to be around."

"That's a cheerful thought..."

* * *

"Hey, Greg."

"Don't 'hey Greg' me. How the heck did you get caught?"

"Whose fault is it to send an inexperienced man to spy on freaking military personnels to begin with?"

Roy watched the two argue back and forth in mild amusement. Was this how they normally were when together? He wondered how they could work as a unit, then.

Next to him, Breda cleared his throat. The two prisoners stopped bickering and turned to them.

"I have a deal to discuss with you," Roy said. "I hope you will accept this proposition. I believe it will prove to be beneficial for all of us."

"Let me guess," Foster sighed, "you want information?"

Roy nodded. "As an exchange we will make sure you will get the lightest sentence possible."

"I can't give much info since I'm not originally from the military," Dinapoli said.

"I have a different proposition for you," Roy told the man. "I want you to do whatever is necessary to pull all the triggers on Edward out. I want him back to normal." His eyes met Foster's. "That goes to you too, if you helped shaping Edward."

"I've thought of it over," Foster said with a light shake of his head, "I won't provide any information whatsoever. You might as well just throw me to jail because even if you torture me I'm not planning to talk."

"And the second deal?"

"I worked on his physique, not his psyche."

"Prison for Foster, then," Roy nodded to Breda. "And you, Dinapoli?"

He turned away. "I've decided from the start that I'd get him back to normal. I would've told you if you didn't propose it like this."

"You two know that someone might come later and use a more forceful method, right?" Roy asked them. "I'm not willing to do it, but many of the higher ups won't hesitate to use torture to get whatever they want, even if we've processed you now." The two prisoners nodded.

"It settles it, then." Breda muttered. "I'll tell the people in Southern HQ, Sir."

"Hold on," Foster said with a frown. "You let us see each other, but where's Bello?"

Roy froze, hands clenched. "...I can't let you see her."

"Why not?" Foster demanded harshly. "We're prisoners but you let us meet each other. What did you do to Bello that makes you unable to let us meet?"

"Let me rephrase that," Roy sighed. "You can't meet her. I'd let you, but I can't."

"But why?"

Roy stared at them without saying a word. He knew his eyes looked grim without having to see into a mirror. The two men in front of him stared back, and slowly understanding dawned on them.

"Oh..." was all Dinapoli could say. "Oh."

"Crazy woman," Foster hissed. His eyes betrayed the hurt that he was clearly feeling.

Breda broke the silence that followed afterwards by clearing his throat. "Sir," he called, looking at Roy meaningfully.

"Right," Roy nodded. "We'll discuss about whatever it is you'll need to do with Edward later. The others will process your data. We don't know yet but you'll probably be put in Central's prison."

Roy followed Breda who had opened the door and walked outside beforehand. He casted a last glance at the two mourning people.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, unheard by all but himself, as he closer the door behind him.

* * *

"You're not sending me to another mission so soon!"

"Soon? Define soon, Fullmetal, you've been idly sitting by for two months."

"Yeah. Having those therapy sessions you assigned to me!"

"That would be considered medical leave, not mission. Your share has been piling up, it's time to start working again. Unless you'd rather not get paid?"

"Meh. Paychecks are overrated anyway."

"You do realize that means no food, right?"

Roy laughed at how Edward's face changed from angry red to terrified pale. Apparently the kid was more afraid of having to starve than having to fight criminals. To be completely honest Roy wasn't sure he wanted to send the boy on this particular mission, but the other cases seemed to be just as much of a bad news if not worse. Besides, he couldn't have the boy just hanging around doing nothing forever.

"Fine, fine, I'll take it." Grumbling, Edward snatched the folder with his flesh hand. He skimmed through it. "Reported cases of an asshole who molested young girls and raped some." His eyes blazed with anger as he commented sarcastically, "Cheerful. Location is in Pleonuk..." he blinked. "Why so close?"

"Well, since you're so small, I'm worried we'll lose sight of you and can't ever find you again!"

"Who are you calling smaller than dust that no one can see him even when they're looking for him?!"

Roy laughed loudly at Edward's reaction while the boy glared daggers at him. "It's good to have you back, Fullmetal," he sighed as the laugh receded. Like before, he heaved a silent sigh of relief when Edward's face contorted into a familiar scowl and not the disturbing blankness he had when he was still under the influence of Bello and Dinapoli's trigger control. "I mean it."

"Yeah sure, you'll trade me for a seat in the council anyway," Edward muttered.

Roy only smirked, not feeling the need to correct the alchemist's suspicion. "By the way, Fullmetal," he called as he pulled the day's newspaper from his drawer, "This is some good news for us all, I believe." He held out the newspaper, and Edward took it.

"_Discussions Being Held with Creta and Aerugo Regarding Border Disputes_," Edward read. His eyes widened and he stared at Roy as if trying to get a confirmation.

Roy smiled and nodded. "If this goes well, we won't have to worry about being called to war. You can focus on your research and getting back Alphonse and your bodies."

Edward's face bore a wide grin. "You're right, Colonel, this is a great news," he told Roy as he set down the newspaper on the table. "Thanks for telling me, that's one thing off my shoulders."

Roy chuckled. "You deserve having it off your shoulders, Fullmetal. You're dismissed."

"Right," Edward nodded, turning to leave, but stopped in his track. "Oh, Colonel? Is it possible for me to meet Bello? I still want to talk to her, if possible."

Roy took a deep breath. "I'm afraid it's not possible, Fullmetal."

"Why? Is she put into some kind of high security prison or something?"

"You could say that," Roy said vaguely.

"Mmhm," Edward grunted, opening the door to exit the room.

"Oh, Fullmetal?"

"Yeah?" Edward turned to face him.

"Take care of yourself." _Please don't ever get abducted again._

To Roy's surprise, instead of cursing, laughing at him, or making a rude gesture, Edward smiled softly. "I will," he promised. Then he smirked in amusement at the face Roy was making, leaving the room with the grace of a lithe cat, and for once closed the door civilly and not slamming it loudly.

He had been acting as if he was okay, but perhaps the whole kidnapped and used fiasco had affected him more than he let on. Roy shook his head with a smile, silently promising himself to look after the young alchemist better.

* * *

"Hey Al, we've got a new job!"

The tall suit of armor that had been sitting on a chair in the Eastern HQ's lobby stood up and went to his brother. "What job is it, Brother?"

"Catching some pervert in Pleonuk," Edward answered. "It's near so there should be a train going there soon. Come on!"

"Wait, Brother!" Alphonse reached and grabbed Edward's shoulder. "Are you sure you're up to this? Don't you need more preparations or something?"

"Don't worry, Al, I'm all ready!" Edward patted Alphonse's grabbing gauntlet despite knowing Alphonse couldn't feel anything.

"Not that. Are you sure your head is all clear? The therapy's all done?"

Edward rolled his eyes. Alphonse had asked this at least ten times already. "Yes, Al, I'm all fine. Mustang's called me Fullmetal several times and nothing happened. Lucca did his job nicely. Just calm down, will you?"

"I just can't trust him all that much, Brother. He was the one that messed up your mind to begin with."

"Yeah," Edward nodded, "but I'm all fine now. Trust me, Al. Do I ever lie to you?"

Just like always, Edward could tell that Alphonse was smiling despite the fact that he had no body, and he offered his own grin to him. "Now then. Let's quickly go to the train station, we've got a train to catch!"

"Oh, Brother!" Alphonse said. "Did you ask the colonel? About Bello?"

Edward stopped, frowning. "Yeah, I did. He said it's impossible to meet her, she's placed in a high security prison or something." His frown deepened. "He was pretty vague though..." He shook his head. "Oh well. Let's go, Al."

"Right."

* * *

"Afterlife? What do you mean?"

Sofia laughed at the confusion and alarm in the two Amestrians' eyes. Amazing how a single decision could change how much she was feeling. She felt so light, all of a sudden.

"Exactly that," Sofia sighed. Her tongue traced her teeth, and she silently wondered how long it would take.

"Bello?" Mustang's voice was full of wary suspicion. Sofia grinned.

"I guess this is goodbye." She placed her tongue between her teeth.

"Bello - !"

Sofia bit.

* * *

A/N: FINISHED! YES!

Yes, people. This is the end of _To Bleed Each Other White_. I'm so glad I managed to finish this. I might do a sequel one day since to be completely honest I've grown pretty attached to the OCs, Lucca in particular. But for now there is no definite plan, since I think this works just as well as a standalone fic.

Some if not all of you might have seen that I changed my username. That's because I want it to be easier for people to find this account. I want all my accounts from many sites to be similar so they're easier to track. A personal branding, if you will. If you want to check, my tumblr url is twilighteve, and I also have a side blog with the url twilighteve-writes to list down all the things I've written, and it'll have updates on stories and stuff too. Yes, this is a promotion of sorts. Yes, you are welcome, encouraged even, to look up those urls.

Thanks so much for sticking with this fic until the end. I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Bless Wikipedia and FMA's wiki site for all the information they provided for this fic. Bless you all for the reviews, favorites and follows. Bless you all for _reading_. I cannot thank you enough. This fic is the first fic I wrote that got so much recognition, and I'm so happy for that.

Once again, thanks so much. With this _To Bleed Each Other White _has officially ended.

Oh, and please leave a review on your way out. It'll make my day!


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